Opening Old Wounds
by TaylaG
Summary: Harry's finally living his fairytale ending but his life is quickly turned upside down by the arrival of a distant relative. Empathizing with her childhood, Harry is determined to help but invisible barriers separate him from his goal. Abuse fic.
1. Chapter 1 Changes and Given Chances

**Hey guys, I've had this idea for a long time but no matter what I search I can't find anything from this direction. It's a well used storyline, the subject is used countless times, but I am yet to find one done this way. I hope you like it but I can promise that the next chapters won't be as long as this! This took forever! Almost 3,300 words is a_ lot_. Could you please review as it lets me know whether there's actually anyone reading what I write and whether it's a load of rubbish or not, thankyou. Hope you like it!**

**Opening Old Wounds.**

**Chapter 1 – Changes and a Given Chance.**

Harry sighed and leaned forwards, resting his head on his arms. He was sat at his desk in the study and was looking through the files sent from the Auror Office. Even though he no longer officially worked in the department, he requested that copies from some of the more important missions be sent to him. That way he could monitor the progress of the department and keep an eye on things which the new head of Auror department was quite happy for him to do. After all, Harry had brought on the Aurors and changed the department drastically with positive results so he was greatly respected for that and any input from Harry was appreciated.

He had left his job almost a year ago as the decrease of dark activity meant that they were simply overstaffed which resulted in a very bored Harry Potter. By leaving his job he was able to spend some time with his family and Ginny was able to return to playing Quidditch professionally for a minor league this time, the Flying Foxes. Playing for a minor league allowed her to gradually 'up her game' as she was out of practice after raising three children.

He looked out of the window and towards the quidditch pitch at the back of the manor. Three figures zoomed around the pitch, the larger of the three zigzagged through the others towards the three hoops at the end. Harry smiled as his wife scored, pelting the quaffle through the middle hoop. She was very happy, he had noticed, now that she was playing again. It gave her something to strive for and the determination and focus she showed filled him with pride. She was happy of course before she started playing again, but this new sense of purpose was what brought out the fiery Ginny he remembered from when they were younger, something only James could bring out when he played a particularly mischievous prank.

"Daddy?" Came a small voice from the doorway. Harry smiled at his daughter wearing what only could be described as something you would find Trelawney in. Lily Potter was draped in shawl after shawl and looped around her neck were mountains of beads. She was an explosion of colour and to top it all off she wore her mother's royal blue heels, her feet slipping to the bottom leaving a rather large gap between her heel and the back of the shoe.

"Do you like my outfit?" she asked, heels dragging on the wooden floor as she shuffled into the middle of the room. She gave a not-so-gracious twirl, attempted a curtsey and stumbled forwards where Harry caught her and picked her up, settling her on his hip.

"You look wonderful Lil, although I don't think mum's going to be too happy about you wearing her heels."

Chuckling, he carried her out of the study and along the corridor and into the master bedroom, plonking her onto the bed and taking the shoes off. The bedroom was one of Harry's favourite rooms in Potter Manor. There was a deep red carpet covering most of the room, with dark wood outlining the floor. The four poster bed had red hangings and sheets which had intricate gold lines threaded through, creating a beautiful pattern of wispy strands. Ginny had a thing for candles and so the room had a few of them dotted around giving off pleasant aromas. There was window on the right hand side of the bed and had a large bookcase on the left. It was overlooking the back garden like the study was as all rooms on the second floor were along the back wall of the house. The entranceway was light due to the huge windows on either side of the front door that stretched up two storeys to the vaulted ceiling. One of the things Harry loved about the house was that he could walk in the door and look up to the ceiling high above him. He had enchanted the ceiling like the Hogwarts Great Hall was and it gave him that warm feeling of being home. A wooden staircase with a red carpet running down it curved from the right wall up to the balcony that was the second floor. It was quite impressive and although it took Harry some time to be comfortable in such a house, it had really grown on him and was just perfect for the Potters.

The next day Harry woke and made his way to the bathroom. He showered, dressed and fastened his watch onto his left wrist. He made his way down stairs to the kitchen and was met with a wonderful smell of pancakes and syrup.

"Mmm," He said, standing behind Ginny and slipping his hands around her waist and resting them on her stomach.

"Morning, you slept late. Oh and a letter came from Minerva for you." She said, turning around from the stove and giving him a light kiss.

"Eurgh, we're trying to eat here!" James exclaimed from the table. Harry grabbed his plate of pancakes and stuck his tongue out at his eldest son, picking up the letter from the table as he left.

"Harry!" Ginny admonished whilst Albus laughed from his seat next to James.

Harry made his way to the small library down the hall from the kitchen and sat down in a comfy chair by the large ornate fire. _What would McGonagall want? _He thought, _it can't be some prank James has done because it's the summer holidays._ That was the main reason she contacted him about most of the time. Taking a bite of his pancake, he opened the letter and unfolded the parchment. It read:

_Mr Potter,_

_We have traced you as the only living relative of Miss Hailie Scott. This has been done as Miss Scott is a minor and is currently within the Care System. She has been for quite some time as we have tried contacting anyone who may be a relation to no avail. Fortunately, Headmistress M. McGonagall agreed to pass on this letter to you as the security on your residence caused our investigative team quite some disorientation to say the least. If you could reply as soon as possible with your owl so as to arrange a meeting to discuss whether you would like to take this further. If not, Miss Scott will remain in Care until a suitable home is provided.  
><em>

_Regards,  
><em>_Tim Shaw, Head of Magical Social Services Dept._

Harry sat there in shock as he fumbled with the parchment, withdrawing a second piece from behind.

_Harry,_

_My friend Fiona Shaw approached me late last night about a case her husband was having difficulty with. She mentioned you and of course I persuaded her to explain the full story about a Miss Scott who is apparently a relative of yours. I found out this: Your great-grandfather, on the Potter side, had two sons, Harold (your grandfather) and Reginald. Harold's father disowned his other son Reginald as he did not come into magical powers. He was ashamed at having a squib son. Reginald then married a muggle and they had one child, Suzanne. Suzanne married a muggle and gave birth to Hailie Scott. However, as magic does, it has cropped up in her as there has been some accidental magic._

_I found out a bit of her past Harry and it is not pretty. Her father was a drunk and was abusive to both her and her mother but he wasn't the only one to blame as Suzanne was abusive to her daughter as well. They died in a house fire caused by a cigarette the reports said, a year ago. Hailie survived as she was locked in the garden shed. Hailie has been in care since then. The thing is, she has been through eight different foster homes in the past six months, something isn't right. No child would be moved around like that unless they were really difficult to say the least. I wanted to warn you Harry before you decide anything. I'm guessing she isn't exactly your sweet 'orphan Annie'. (Have you seen Annie? It's great!) Sorry, I really like muggle films. Just have a good think about it and talk it out with Ginny._

_Wishing you all the best,  
><em>_Minerva_

_X_

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><p>Ginny flicked her wand and the plates rose up and started cleaning themselves under the tap. Sending the boys to get dressed, she made her way to the library to find out what the letter was. She knew he would be in there; he always retreated there for some peace and quiet. She could see the appeal, books lined all four walls and stacks came out towards the middle of the room making small 'corridors' between them. Straight across from the door was a huge fireplace and various comfy chairs surrounded it. The wood panelling on the walls reminded her of the Gryffindor common room and made the room feel very cosy. She rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway. The colour had drained from his face as he sat staring at the letter.<p>

"Harry? What is it? What's happened?" She asked worriedly. Ginny sat down next to him and grasped his hand. A thousand thoughts flew through her mind as she tried to think what the letter had said.

"Harry?" Ginny asked again, squeezing the hand that held the parchment. He handed it over and said,

"It's not that bad, I don't think." Ginny read both pieces of parchment, her lips pursing and becoming thinner the more she read. She looked at him, seeing confusion and worry in his emerald eyes.

"Like Minerva said, we won't rush into anything, ok? She sounds... difficult." She frowned, "But we could give her a chance, meet with her perhaps? How old is she? It doesn't say..." She asked, quickly scanning the letter._ If they were going to let this girl into their lives then they would be at risk_, thought Ginny. _There is no way Harry could give up on her if he met her, no matter how hard it was. He never gave up on anyone, especially family. And that is what this girl was, family, however distant that might be._ She felt angry that someone could do this, just send a letter and expect them to drop everything. The girl was abused, surely that would have repercussions? The strain it would put on Harry was what worried her. If she had been moved around that often then people obviously couldn't handle her, and these were people who had probably fostered other children before, _how on earth were they meant to cope? But maybe she was getting carried away. Perhaps she had been moved around because of her accidental magic in a muggle household. But then again_, she reasoned, _she would not have been put with a muggle family if she was a witch._

"We have to give her a chance Gin," he said what she knew he would. "I mean, we can try right? If she has no one then I want to help. She may be difficult, my god I have no idea how we are going to cope with that, but we can." His voice sounded hopeful and she didn't miss the slight pleading tone he failed to hide. He had turned to face her properly and held her hands in his, looking into her eyes.

"We can." He whispered. _How on earth was she meant to refuse that? _The expression he had was one of beseeching hope and it was her downfall.

"We can reply." She heard herself say. _Stupidly amazing eyes and gorgeousness that is my husband, _she cursed as he gave a radiant smile and squeezed her hands.

"Harry, this is going to be more than difficult you know. With the... abuse." She hesitated on the last word and noticed his face looked pained.

"I know," he murmured, quickly recovering and smiling once more. "It'll be worth it though, if we can do this. We can give her a home. I'm not working so there will always be someone here, whether it's you or me. Maybe the kids will be good for her too, they can encourage her and show her that there's another way and that she can trust people again."

Ginny got up and found some parchment and quill, scribbled a request for a meeting and gave it to Harry who left for the owlery. _What on earth were they getting themselves into? And is this classed as rash? _She wondered belatedly.

* * *

><p>Harry and Ginny Potter flooed to the ministry the next day. They were supposed to meet with Tim Shaw at eleven but were running late due to an ill-timed prank from James that left them all covered in their breakfast as the dishes expelled what was in them. After much scolding and a week's ban from quidditch, they left the three children at the Burrow where they'd given a hurried explanation to Molly and Arthur of the Hailie situation. Molly was of course concerned for the girl, '<em>oh the poor dear', <em>she had said and offered to take the children if they ever needed a break. The offer had always willingly been made but Harry appreciated it all the same. They walked through the atrium and into the lift.

"Floor Twelve, Magical Social Services Department." Rang the announcement. They made their way through the corridor. It had plain white walls and the floor was blue and white linoleum which reminded Harry of a hospital ward. There were large doors on either side and the door right at the end opened which Tim Shaw stepped out of and into the corridor to greet them. He was a plump man with little hair and a moustache and very little neck. He reminded Harry of Uncle Vernon which unnerved him slightly but he shook the man's hand with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Potter, Mrs Potter." He shook both of their hands respectively and led the way into his office. Laden with books, his office was a dark green and he took the seat behind his desk while gesturing for them to take the two seats placed in front.

"I have to admit, I was extremely relieved when my wife was able to contact you through the Headmistress. It has taken some time..." He trailed off looking at Harry.

"Uh yeah, sorry about that. The wards where we live are quite strong to keep out any unwanted attention. Too many people knowing where we live would cause a lot of complications, something I'd rather not have to deal with." Harry explained.

"Of course, of course!" He brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Being Harry Potter would no doubt bring unwanted attentions." Chuckling, he took out some papers from inside the desk draw and laid them out in front of the couple. "These are temporary guardianship papers. They are simply to state that if and when you decide to have Miss Scott with you, you are responsible for her care and you will be classed as her foster parents until you make a decision. Her personal social worker Elaine Dowbridge has been on Miss Scott's case for the past two months, the longest person to stay with Miss Scott I am afraid." He looked worried for a moment as though afraid to put them off and hastily added, "She's misunderstood, I think. Most are quick to deem her as a lost cause. But I think that with someone she can trust and with patience..." Tim Shaw trailed off again.

"We have heard about her Mr. Shaw," Ginny spoke up for the first time since entering the office. "We have an idea what to expect and we've agreed that we're going to try our best with her. Harry glanced at his wife and nodded, showing the man that they were determined and weren't going to be swayed by what others had said. Inside though Harry wondered for about the thousandth time since the letter, whether they were doing the right thing. Secretly they both had serious doubts but Harry knew he couldn't give up without giving her a chance. She needed them and it reminded him all too much of when he wanted any way out of the Dursley's, craving the security of the Burrow during the summer months.

They agreed to have Hailie stay for a week in two days time. That gave them some time to prepare a room for her even though there were lots of unused bedrooms in the Manor. The man seemed in quite a hurry for Hailie to move in but Harry insisted they have time to 'get things ready' when really he just needed time to prepare himself for what was most probably a very difficult week. They also needed to tell James, Albus and Lily what would be happening now they'd found out a bit more of the situation. Hailie Scott was six years old which surprised both Harry and Ginny. How could a six year old be so much trouble? Shaw told them that they didn't know much of the abuse as she refused to talk to anyone and would throw a huge tantrum whenever someone tried to get her to speak of it. The medical reports said that she had bruises and a few scars on her body when they had found her after the fire but as she was so uncooperative, the nurses gave up, refusing to endure the pain as she lashed out at them, biting and kicking. She trusted no one, especially men and was frequently destructive. Of course Shaw had only explained this after Harry and Ginny signed the documents releasing her into their care for a week's time.

Ginny could see it bothered Harry that she refused to trust men. Would this mean she would have to take a more active role? She wondered as she folded laundry. She hated the fact that it was already a strain on Harry and the child hadn't even arrived. He worried he would fail her, she could tell. The emotional strain for Harry was what worried her the most as it would be personal to him. He would feel helpless and inadequate if they failed to reach her and for that reason, she resolved to put one hundred and ten percent of her effort into helping the child.

Late that night, the Potter household was fast asleep, apart from one. Ginny was rolled onto her right side and was watching Harry sleeping. He lay on his stomach with his arms underneath his pillow and had his head turned towards her. She stretched out her hand and ran her fingers over his cheek and he gave a small smile in his sleep. He looked so peaceful. She carded her hand through his hair and trailed it down his neck and onto his shirtless back, his skin was so smooth. Making her way down she ran a finger over a thin scar, a line along the hem of his pyjama trousers which went from one side of his back to the other. He gave an involuntary flinch in his sleep so she withdrew her hand and sighed as she leant forwards and kissed him lightly on his forehead.

* * *

><p>So, how did I do? I'm still relatively new to this Fanfiction thing so bear with me. I know it was slow but I just wanted to set things up a bit rather than jump straight in... Please review and let me know what you think. I'm sorry for any mistakes I may have missed as I only quickly scanned through and didn't properly proof-read it, lazy me.<p>

**A disclaimer now I guess - I own absolutely nothing, zilch, zip, zero. Everything belongs to the Queen. (Not the one in Buckingham Palace.)**


	2. Chapter 2 Preparations

**Opening Old Wounds.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 2 – Preparations.<span>

_Late that night, the Potter household was fast asleep, apart from one. Ginny was rolled onto her right side and was watching Harry sleeping. He lay on his stomach with his arms underneath his pillow and had his head turned towards her. She stretched out her hand and ran her fingers over his cheek and he gave a small smile in his sleep. He looked so peaceful. She carded her hand through his hair and trailed it down his neck and onto his shirtless back, his skin was so smooth. Making her way down she ran a finger over a thin scar, a line along the hem of his pyjama trousers which went from one side of his back to the other. He gave an involuntary flinch in his sleep so she withdrew her hand and sighed as she leant forwards and kissed him lightly on his forehead._

_._

The next morning, Harry awoke to the sound of his old Transfiguration professor laughing with his wife. It was still strange, no matter how long he had known her and even with how well he knew her now, it was still... weird. Ron constantly ribbed him about the fact that Harry saw more of the stern old lady than of his best friend. This was admittedly quite true as Ron was rather busy with work as an Auror and the two of them found it difficult to spend time to just hang out. Pulling himself from his musings, Harry dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the shower. He liked the fact that the bedroom had two en-suites, one which held only a shower, small sink and toilet and the other had the full 'shebang' as Ginny so eloquently put it. There was a huge tub in the middle of the room, a dark blue marble counter against the wall holding a sink, and of course a toilet and shower. None of this Harry had seen however, he was happy with just his shower and did not want to entertain the thought of such a vast bathtub thank you very much.

His nose was assaulted with the smell of a traditional Weasley breakfast as he made his way downstairs.

"Morning Harry, Minerva's been saying about the new classes at Hogwarts." His wife greeted him with a kiss on the cheek as she put plates full of sausages, eggs and bacon onto the kitchen table. They rarely used the dining room table as it was huge so it was reserved for when they had the whole Weasley clan over.

"New classes?" Harry queried, loading up his plate. James entered, closely followed by Albus and they both fought for the chair next to McGonagall. James won, leaving a scowling Albus sat next to Lily.

"Oh yes, because of the amount of muggleborn children and also those whose parents don't have time to home school them, we've decided to set up a class for under elevens. We will be able to educate them in the ways of our world, basic Math and English lessons, not to mention lessons on writing with a quill. The amount of illegible first years we have is unacceptable." She finished, shaking her head.

"Hey, that's a good idea." He said, nodding in agreement. "How young will you be taking them on?" He asked, taking a mouthful of bacon.

"Well, as most parents _do_ home school their children, we will be able to take them on from as young as seven years old without things becoming a little cramped. That's when the first signs of accidental magic show and so it would be safer for us to inform families of their situations before that fateful letter from Hogwarts." McGonagall explained, filling up her plate as Ginny joined them and reached over to help Lily with her food.

"It would help stop muggles from turning against their children." He said slowly. "Are you sure this won't mean that Hogwarts is going to be overrun with kids?"

McGonagall laughed, "Oh no, there's definitely still a sign up program. Parents will be contacted of course, but they will be able to choose whether or not to enrol. It is simply a class that will introduce them to our world and then form the basics of magical theory, helping them with their future studies at Hogwarts." She explained. "So it is nothing new or necessary for those from wizarding families. There will be some there though, like I said, not everyone feels up to homeschooling."

"Can I go?" Piped up Lily. She had been listening intently throughout the conversation and realised she really wanted to go. She was seven so she should be able to! James was always talking about Hogwarts with her father and they talked forever about it. It sounded amazing, Lily thought, and the sooner she could go the sooner she could join in with their conversations about the ghosts and secret passageways hidden around the castle.

"Lil, didn't you hear, there would be no point in you going as it's for the children who don't know about our world." Ginny explained.

"But I want to!" Lily moaned. This wasn't fair! She didn't want to wait until she was eleven.

"Hey, I had to wait till I was eleven, so you should too!" Argued Albus, he was clearly still in a rather foul temper from having to sit next to his little sister. "I'm only just getting to go this year."

Lily continued to complain and Albus resolutely claimed it unfair. Ginny was trying to settle a stroppy seven year old while McGonagall was looking rather guilty for causing such a ruckus. James however, ignored them and was stuffing his face with as much as he could. Harry swore he had some Ron in him. Harry sighed at the scene; it really wasn't much different from most days, although they were usually more subdued when McGonagall was there. His thoughts strayed to Hailie Scott though and he sighed again. Maybe he should be grateful for the controlled commotion that was in his kitchen, it was certainly not going to last.

When McGonagall had left, Harry paced the second floor, glancing into a few of the bedrooms as he went by. He was thinking. What bedroom would be more suitable for the child? One closer or further from his own? She would need some space but what if she had a nightmare, would he hear? He then mentally scolded himself; he was a wizard and that was what monitoring spells were for. Glancing into James' room, he frowned. The room was a mess! It was a dark Gryffindor red and the walls were plastered in Cannon's posters, much to Ginny's displeasure '_You have to support your mum's team!'_ quidditch magazines were strewn across the floor and were in a jumbled mess amongst robes and other items of clothing. Not much of the wooden floor was discernible.

"James!" Harry shouted. The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs told him that James was on his way. "This room," He indicated as James arrived next to Harry, "is a mess."

"Ugh, I was just about to play a game of Quidditch with Al-" He began grumbling but Harry cut him off.

"No, not until this room is spotless. I mean it James, your mother's been telling you all week, don't think I haven't heard. And speaking of your brother..." Harry made his way down the hall and opened Albus' door. It was not as bad a James', he admitted, but it still needed cleaning. The bedroom had a pale blue paint and cream bed sheets. There was a desk in the corner and a wall to floor bookcase covering the entire wall on the right. There was quite a few of Harry's old defence books in with Albus' newer ones and he had quite the collection, Hermione was proud of his interest in books, supplying him with more than necessary, Harry thought. They were taking over! There were a few out on the desk and _Beginners Guide to Potions_ was dumped on the floor at the foot of his bed. He adopted quite a few of James' books now that he was starting at Hogwarts this year. James had apparently deemed himself too good for the books. Most likely he hadn't even opened them unless it was in class and obviously didn't think he needed to again now that he was going into his fourth year. Harry called Albus upstairs and gave the two a stern look indicating that they should tidy until he said otherwise.

James and Albus had grown used to their mother's berating and Weasley temper; it was a lot like their grandmother's. They had often endured hours of her rants (James more than Albus) and had grown accustomed to the slight ringing in their ears afterward, that was nothing. Their father on the other hand, had never shouted at either of his family. He had raised his voice to call them but that was all. And so sterner words from him elicited house elf tendencies from the two boys which left Ginny rather dumbfounded as to how Harry did it.

Harry continued his pacing and went back to his earlier thoughts. Molly was going to take the children for the weekend so that Hailie could settle in before there were three rather rowdy Potter's thrown into the mix.

Ginny was heading upstairs when she noticed Harry walking the length of the corridor.

"Hey," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "I think the yellow one is best." She said with a smile, taking a guess as to what Harry had been thinking. He looked at her for a moment then smiled. She was right.

"C'mere." She made her way over to him and he hugged her. His arms wrapped around her waist whilst her arms were encircling his neck. She looked up and kissed him, carding her hand through his hair as his hands trailed over her bum. As he deepened the kiss, he felt a hand tug on his shirt, one that was far too light to be Ginny's he thought.

"Oi, can you stop being so gross in public please." Lily interrupted. They both jumped apart and looked down. Lily was standing, hand on her hips in a rather Weasley-like manner.

"This is not public Lily, go and tidy your room or something." Ginny said, evidently not pleased at breaking such a kiss.

The following day Molly came and flooed the children to the Burrow. The social worker, Elaine Dowbridge, would be arriving at noon with Hailie the muggle way as the floo network was restricted to only the Burrow, Ron and Hermione's and Hogwarts. It was a lot easier for Harry to reduce the wards on the house for a bit rather than go through the authorisation and set-up of another floo connection. Once the children were gone, Harry and Ginny sat down in the living room. Harry sat on one end of the sofa and Ginny lay with her head in his lap.

"It's strange things being so quiet." She murmured. Her eyes were closed as he ran his fingers through her hair, fanning it out over his legs until it swept right over the armrest in a fiery waterfall.

"Yeah." He agreed then paused, "Do you think we're able to do this?" He asked hesitantly. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Harry, we can give her a chance." She said, reaching up and resting her hand on his cheek. "I wish I could say that this will be easy but we both know that it's not and we're only kidding ourselves if we don't prepare. Now, we've done all we can and that will have to be enough. I know you've been stressing about this Harry, I've seen you. But I want you to know that whatever happens, it is not your fault if we cannot help her. Do you understand?" Her other hand reached up to touch his other cheek as she asked, holding him firmly.

"I know Gin, I know." He said quietly. He knew he was excessively worrying, he did it a lot. They both knew that whatever they were getting themselves into, the other would be right there by the side, supporting and helping as much as they could. That thought alone made things seem less daunting. They were both silent for a long moment, each lost in their own thoughts when suddenly the doorbell rang making them both jump. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and got up, making their way into the entrance hall to the door hand in hand. Harry felt a reassuring squeeze and returned it just as he opened the door. On the other side stood a tall woman with dark hair tied in a ponytail and her eyes were an unusual amber. She wore a grey muggle trouser suit and she gave a warm smile when she offered him her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Elaine." She said brightly as both Harry and Ginny shook her hand.

"Pleasure." Ginny replied as Harry's attention was on a small blonde girl try to hide behind the woman. Elaine's hand however was firmly attached to the child's, stopping her from disappearing behind her. She pulled her slightly to stand next to her and said,

"Mr and Mrs Potter, this is Hailie Scott. Say hello Hailie."

"Nice to meet you Hailie, but none of that 'Mr. Potter' stuff, call me Harry." He said kindly, giving her a small, gentle smile.

"Yeah, you can call me Ginny if you like." Ginny smiled encouragingly as she held out her hand for Hailie to shake. The girl looked up at them, her blue eyes showing distrust and barely concealed resentment. Her jaw was set and even for a six year old, she looked quite formidable.

"Hailie..." Elaine prompted; but Hailie remained silent. Harry stood back and gestured for them to come in, exchanging a worried glance with his wife.

.

.

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><p>Hello :) I just wanted to ask if you would please review, it doesn't have to be much, even if it's just a word or a rating out of ten. It would be much appreciated. I know nothing much happened in this chapter but I wanted to build things up slowly. Ok, hope you enjoyed it and of course I own nothing. - Tayla<p> 


	3. Chapter 3  Unusual Teddies

**.**

**Opening Old Wounds.**

_The girl looked up at them, her blue eyes showing distrust and barely concealed resentment. Her jaw was set and even for a six year old, she looked quite formidable._

_"Hailie..." Elaine prompted; but Hailie remained silent. Harry stood back and gestured for them to come in, exchanging a worried glance with his wife._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3 – Unusual Teddies.<span>

The three adults gathered around the small table in the middle of the living room. Harry and Ginny sat on one side while Elaine and Hailie sat on the sofa on the other. Harry glanced towards the child a few times as the silence stretched uncomfortably. He noticed that her jaw was still clenched and she was looking around the room with a feigned indifference, feigned as he could see the curiosity in her eyes. They widened almost imperceptibly as they landed on a charcoal coloured owl that dozed on top of one of the tall bookshelves that flanked the fireplace.

"Well," Elaine hesitantly began, glancing between the three others. Clearly nervous, so Harry took over.

"Ms Dowbridge, the arrangement is that Miss Scott will stay with us for a week. I was told that we'd need to sign a final form?" He questioned.

"Oh! Yes, yes, of course..." She said, and began rummaging in a bag that closely resembled the colour of her suit. "Ah, here it is." She handed the piece of paper to Ginny who began to read.

"It's just a confirmation form that releases her into your care formally. I believe you signed one similar when you met Mr Shaw?" Harry nodded. "Yes, that one was an agreement that you were willing. This finalises things, putting her into your care for a week. After the week is up the forms are void and Miss Scott will be returned into our care." She explained. Her mouth formed into a thin line that could rival Harry's old Head of House at the last sentence.

"And if we want her to stay?" Asked Ginny, looking up. Elaine Dowbridge looked her in the eye for a long, measuring moment.

"You have read the case? You have heard about past foster homes?" She questioned, puzzled.

"Of course," replied Ginny. She couldn't see why Elaine had no apparent awareness that the child in question was sitting right with them. Apparently neither did Harry as he interrupted Elaine before she spoke again.

"I don't think it's necessary to be having such a discussion right now," he said, glancing furtively towards the child who was still watching the owl. "We will sign the form and see you in a week's time to discuss things further." He leant forwards and signed the paper along with Ginny. After three signatures had been received the parchment glowed a soft, golden colour then vanished with a slight 'pop'. Harry showed the woman to the door and assured that he would see her in a week. She smiled sadly and replied,

"If you don't call before that, that is. A few days perhaps?" She looked at him with something akin to pity. He hated pity.

"A week." He corrected. Looking into her eyes and seeing that she expected him not to last the entire week had him riled in a way he hadn't felt for a long time. She turned away from him with a muttered _'we'll see. Goodnight Mr Potter', _to which he never replied. He raised the wards again and walked into the living room. Ginny was attempting to make conversation with Hailie and he made his way over, sitting next to Ginny again. He remained quiet, leaving Ginny to coax the child into speaking with her, all to no avail. She was looking around the room with her arms folded, determined not to look or speak with them and Ginny turned to Harry at a loss of what to do.

"Hey," Harry said softly. He wasn't sure if she'd heard but her eyes flickered towards him for a fraction of a second so he took that as a good sign and carried on. "I know this must be scary, coming into a new house and all, especially with people you don't know..." He received an encouraging nod from Ginny when he started to trail off, "Do you want to see your room?" He asked. There was no reply so Harry stood, "C'mon, follow me, I'll show you..." He made his way out of the room and walked slowly towards the bottom of the stairs, hoping she would follow. At the sound of small footsteps he turned around and smiled encouragingly, slowing his pace even more for her to catch up. She remained silent as they climbed and walked towards the door next to the master bedroom. Opening it, he watched the child's face to gauge her reaction. She looked around the room as they entered, taking in the yellow walls with lilac borders, the lilac bedcovers and the toy box in the corner. There was a bedside table and on it sat a lamp and a children's book. There was a wardrobe and dresser to the side and at the foot of the bed sat a small trunk with her things that had been magically sent earlier that day. As she looked, her expression was blank apart from when her gaze landed on the trunk.

"Yes, that's yours. Your clothes are in the wardrobe already but Ginny will of course help you with those in the morning ok? There are toys and books for you to read as well, whenever you like, just help yourself ok Hailie?" She nodded and went to sit on the bed. She climbed up and looked at Harry. He was confused to say the least, nothing had made her smile, speak or even acknowledge what was going on. Perhaps she just needed time to settle, he thought. He smiled and closed the door.

He told Ginny about her impassive reaction and she agreed that the child needed time to adjust. After all, she had been moved from house to house and so she obviously wasn't feeling secure right now. But she was six years old and Harry had never seen a six year old seem so... lost. There was a stark contrast between Hailie and Lily, one which made him eternally grateful that he could provide such a warm, loving environment for his kids to grow up in.

A couple of hours past and none of them had heard a peep from the child. After a brief hushed argument, it was decided that Ginny call her down for dinner while Harry cooked some pasta. Ginny knocked and entered. The girl was sat on the bed and hadn't moved since Harry had left her there.

"Hey, Hailie, dinner's almost ready. I'll show you where the bathroom is so you can wash up." Hailie got up and followed Ginny down the hallway. _Well, at least she's following, _she thought. They entered the bathroom and Ginny took out the stool from under the sink for Hailie to reach. She climbed up and washed her hands, looking warily towards Ginny every now and then. _What is going on in her head, _Ginny wondered. She smiled at the young girl and they both made their way into the kitchen. The small table was set for three and so they sat. Well, Ginny and Harry did whereas Hailie remained in the doorway and glared. Taken aback, Harry spoke;

"Hailie? Come and sit down. There's a seat right here next to Ginny," he gestured. "What's up?" She continued to glare at them for a moment and then strode towards the drawers and flung them open, grabbing cutlery and throwing it on the floor. They sat there stunned as she opened a cupboard and threw more things out as she screamed, this time she took out small plates and flung them on the floor, the crash unfreezing them. Harry ran forwards and took the plates out of her hand whilst Ginny repaired the broken ones with a wave of her wand.

"Hailie, no." He said firmly, looking into her eyes. "You do not break things here, that's unacceptable." His voice was calm as he spoke and she looked up at him. Hatred and anger stared back at him. She turned around and grabbed the chair, pulling it over. Ginny made to stop her but Harry cut her off with a small shake of his head. They watched as she screamed, tipping over the chairs in anger. The fury that emanated was scary, her magic was in the air and they could feel it, the atmosphere buzzing with the charge. Ginny was at a loss, she had never seen a child so distraught, they watched as the tears came through the child's shouts. Harry stood there and let her ride out the anger. _Perhaps that was why she was so quiet; she just let it build up inside of her. _Harry knew what that felt like as he'd done it many times to himself. He knew that she'd heard what he'd said and resolved to make sure she knew he was serious. He had let her know it was unacceptable and so her actions would have consequences, he just didn't expect to be disciplining her barely hours after her arrival. When she had started up again he noticed that she had glanced towards him, almost expecting him to run forwards and forcibly restrain her and in that moment he knew that he shouldn't. Was that what everyone else had done? What was she doing? Testing boundaries? Venting anger? He thought it was perhaps a mixture of the two.

When the tears had started, he wanted to pick her up and comfort her. But he knew that was out of the question and so he let her carry on tipping and breaking things. Quite a few times he had to stop Ginny from going towards her and so they both picked up a chair and sat watching, waiting for her to finish. A few minutes later, she stopped. Hailie looked over at them in a defiant glare towards Ginny which shifted to apprehension upon meeting Harry's eyes. She stood there for a few moments, surrounded in cutlery and broken china. Harry was glad he had cast a silent shield charm towards her when she'd started so she wouldn't get hurt. The silence stretched on, each waiting for the other to break it. Harry spoke up,

"Hailie, like I said before, this is unacceptable." He said it evenly as it wouldn't do anyone any good if he were to start raving and shouting at her, he decided. She gave him a calculating stare and they could see she was wondering what he was going to do next. He had made up his mind.

"I really hoped we could've gone through the rules tomorrow, and in better circumstances." He added quietly. Ginny glanced at him but remained quiet and he was grateful for that, it enabled him to think.

"Sit down." It wasn't a request and Hailie could tell. For a moment it seemed as though she would start up again, but she walked tentatively forwards, glancing away from Harry and towards Ginny every now and then.

Ginny felt as though the world had tipped upside down. _Which it literally had in the kitchen_, she thought. She had no idea how they were going to handle it, if it was one of her own children who'd trashed the kitchen then she wouldn't have hesitated to give them a good sharp clip around the ear and shout the house down. However she knew this wouldn't be the case. The child had issues and she had guessed that this was only the tip of the iceberg. She was glad Harry had spoken first as he'd sensed her temper boiling and had quickly intervened when she started to trash the place. She had been so close to grabbing the child, it worried her. She would need to keep her temper in check with Hailie but she wasn't sure she could do it, they needed her to trust them, not fear them. Harry seemed to draw the same conclusion when he stated the rules.

"Right, time for some rules. First of all, you do not damage any of our things, just as we would never damage any of yours. I will fix things up here, and you will lose privileges as punishment. We will sort that out tomorrow." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is there anything wrong with that Hailie?" He asked, confused.

"Lose privl'ges?" She spoke quietly for the first time since entering the Potter household.

"Yes, Hailie. You will have privileges such as toys, sweets and free time. You'll earn them through good behaviour and lose them through bad. We won't hurt you." Ginny glanced at him in surprise and was even more shocked when Hailie's shoulders visibly slumped. He carried on,

"Secondly, treat each other as you'd like to be treated. It's not exactly nice or fair if you call someone names and then expect them to be nice to you is it?" He asked with a faint smile. Hailie however missed it as she was staring resolutely at the table.

"Thirdly, we use manners in our house Hailie. A simple 'please' and 'thank you' goes a long way." He got up and walked around the table towards the unit where the food was, waving his wand to repair and clear up the mess on the floor. Luckily the food was too high up for her to reach. Waving his wand, he cancelled the automatic Stasis charm and brought the plates over, setting them down in front of them.

"Thank you." Ginny said, glancing from Harry to Hailie, hoping she would follow her lead.

"Thank you." Came a rather timid voice which belied the frown on her face. Ah well, Harry thought, it was a start.

"You're welcome." They ate in silence apart from when Ginny would attempt to make conversation with Harry about little things. He could tell that she was just trying to ease the tension but he couldn't focus on what she was saying and so in the end she gave up. Harry finished first and got up to clean his plate. He gave it a quick wash in the sink and by the time he was done, Hailie had cleared her plate too. He washed Hailie's and led her to get ready for bed whilst Ginny sat eating still, absorbed in a magazine. He offered to help her brush her teeth but she refused and insisted she was just fine to do it herself and that she didn't need him. He hated to admit; the way she'd said it had hurt a little. She climbed into bed and lay down, watching him warily. _What on earth had he done?_

He sat on the bed and tucked the covers in around her like he did for Lily. He reached up to brush the hair from her eyes and she flinched when he touched her. She looked up at him startled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump." Inside, he felt something stir. He used to flinch. He knew how frightening it was to let someone close and so he got up, murmured a goodnight and closed the door.

Downstairs Ginny was making her way to Harry's study. Upon entering she saw him and stopped. He was sat in his chair and had his elbows propped up on the desk, head resting in his hands. She stood and watched for a few moments as the fire illuminated the room and gave the furniture flickering shadows. Eventually he sighed and looked up, noticing her in the doorway. They looked at each other for a moment and then she went over and sat in the wooden chair on the other side of the desk.

"How did it go?" She asked softly.

"Well, she hates me." He shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea what went on in the kitchen." Harry said, shaking his head.

"You handled it well, really well. I was so close to shouting at her. I can see it wouldn't have helped in the least." She gave a wry smile.

"Honestly Gin, I can barely remember what I said. I just rambled on about some rules." He laughed quietly. "I'm probably going to need to add to that list 'cause I think that three rules aren't going to cover everything. As for the shouting, no I don't think it would've. Although you held it back, well done, I know it's difficult." Harry smiled at her.

"Only cause you said not to!" She scoffed and Harry shrugged.

"Well you looked pretty close to not listening to me but you did." He replied, his tone making it clear she would get nowhere by contradicting him.

"So what's the punishment then?" Ginny asked, taking his hand over the desk. He stroked the back of her hand for a moment whilst thinking.

"I guess... No sweets and she can have toys tomorrow evening. She can do some reading during the day instead." Ginny nodded in agreement and made her way around the desk.

"I'm having an early night ok? Don't stay up too late you look exhausted already." She gave a tender kiss on his head and closed the door behind her.

About an hour later, Harry made his way to bed. He'd managed to sort through some cases that had been delivered by a large tawny owl earlier that morning. He got ready for bed and as he passed Hailie's door he peeked in. Harry was just about to close the door when he heard a sniffle. He walked in quietly and the sniffling sounds abruptly stopped. Hailie was curled onto her side facing the wall with the blanket pulled up to her chin. Harry noticed she was clutching what looked to be a Jack Russell teddy. _Strange, _he thought, _weren't teddies usually... bear shaped?_ Putting that irrelevant thought aside he touched her shoulder, ignoring the flinch.

"Hey, it's ok." He said softly.

"'m sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up, 'm sorry. Please..." She mumbled in a panicky voice. Harry tried to reassure her by whispering words of comfort and squeezing her shoulder but it just seemed to make things worse as she started sobbing, repeating the same line over and over. Harry decided to just abandon everything and do what his instinct told him. He picked her up and climbed further onto the bed until he was leaning against the wall with her in his lap. She fought against his arms as he tried to soothe her,

"Shh, Hailie it's fine, you're ok, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you." She struggled and cried.

"No- No, Please. I'm sorry..." He held her to him, ignoring her protests. After a few minutes she calmed down until she was sniffling loudly but no longer struggling. They sat together on her bed for a long time until she dozed off again. Harry sighed, a bad dream, why hadn't he thought of that? Of course she would have them. And there was also the fact she thought he was her father. Perhaps he had visited her in the night? He stopped that train of thought right there. No, there was no use getting worked up. He stood up with her in his arms as gently as he could and bent over to put her into her bed again. He laid her down and made to stand up when he noticed she had a fistful of his shirt in an iron like grip. He pried her fingers away as gently as possible and tucked her in again. She stirred slightly as he left her bedside but she never woke.

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><p>.<p>

I really love reading reviews :). Can you give me perhaps one measly little word. Please. _Please. **Please.** **Please. **__**... **_

_**thankyou**_


	4. Chapter 4  Revelations

**.**

**Opening Old Wounds.**

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_...there was also the fact she thought he was her father. Perhaps he had visited her in the night? He stopped that train of thought right there. No, there was no use getting worked up. He stood up with her in his arms as gently as he could and bent over to put her into her bed again. He laid her down and made to stand up when he noticed she had a fistful of his shirt in an iron like grip. He pried her fingers away as gently as possible and tucked her in again. She stirred slightly as he left her bedside but she never woke._

_._

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><p><span>Chapter 4 – Revelations.<span>

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Ginny crawled out of bed and fifteen minutes later she started cooking breakfast for the three of them. She hummed whilst she cooked and the smell of bacon wafted through the house, rousing the other two. She could hear Harry stumbling around upstairs, opening and closing drawers so she put the plates on the table. A rapping sound caught her attention. A grey owl and a large brown owl sat outside the window and as she opened the window, Harry entered the kitchen.

"Mornin'," he said sleepily, taking a seat as he rubbed his eyes. He looked shattered.

"What time did you come to bed? You look awful." She turned back around and untied the letter when it held its leg out.

"Uh, not too long after, and thanks. Hailie had a nightmare though; I sat in her room for a while." He answered, helping himself to some toast.

"Oh no. Was she ok?" Ginny asked worriedly, taking off the Daily Prophet from the brown owl's leg.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said through a mouthful, "She was pretty scared though. Wouldn't let me near her at first..."

"But she did eventually?" She enquired. Harry looked quite sheepish as he answered,

"Well, I sort of just picked her up and wouldn't let her go... But it was fine though!" He added hastily as Ginny's eyebrows travelled further towards her hairline.

"So what, you forcibly restrained her? Why is it fine to do it sometimes and then not others? You're confusing me."

"It just felt... right. Like, I had no idea what to do and so I did what I'd do if she were Lils." He shrugged.

"Yet what about last night over dinner? I wanted to comfort her and yet you stopped me." She could feel her temper rising. How was he able to choose the right moment to intervene and she was left... helpless. He could sense it too, as he got up and walked over to her.

"Hey," he said, taking her hands. He gave her a kiss on her forehead and she felt her anger melt away. "I don't know Gin. I have absolutely no idea how to handle this. I can only go on what I felt when I was younger, and that was a very long time ago. She's scared, she's angry and she's alone. I just... don't know." She reached up and kissed him on the lips. She knew deep down that Harry would understand her better and therefore be able to get through to her, but it still left her feeling slightly inadequate. At that thought she felt horrible, was she feeling _jealous_? Firmly squishing those thoughts and her temper down, she kissed him again.

Harry sat back down and resumed eating and Ginny opened the letter. Scanning through, she groaned.

"What's up?" He asked.

"The team wants me to come in today, emergency practice apparently. Ready for the game in a couple of Ugh" She groaned again. " I guess that means you're staying home then."

"Alright."

Ginny went upstairs and grabbed the holdall with her kit inside and passing Hailie's bedroom she knocked and told her breakfast was ready. She flooed out minutes later and Harry was left to babysit.

He was sat in the kitchen, flicking through the Prophet, when he noticed Hailie stood in the doorway still wearing her pyjamas.

"Good morning Hailie," he said warmly, "come and have some breakfast." She walked quietly over, taking the seat opposite. Hailie looked at him but said nothing so Harry put some food onto her plate. She frowned for a moment, thinking about something and then said,

"Thank you." Harry smiled and she looked at her breakfast.

"You're welcome Hailie. Ginny's at work today so it's just the two of us." Hailie's head shot up, her eyes fearful and before Harry could even register it she shot out of her chair and fled the room.

_What on earth..? _Harry followed quickly, through the living room and into the entranceway. He paused; he would've seen if she'd gone up the stairs as they were huge. Glancing around, he decided on the dining room. He went through the double doors and looked around. The room had dark wood panelling and running the length was an extravagant dining table which could seat about thirty people. He crouched down and peered underneath. Sure enough, he could see her crouched, hugging her knees and sobbing quietly.

"Hailie, it's ok." He said, walking around the table. "I'm not going to hurt you. What happened?" He coaxed as he knelt down, cross legged, his bones protesting. _Merlin, he was too old for this._ She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, mumbling something. He strained his ears to listen;

"Don't like it... bad- Please... don't want... no more- please..." Her words were muffled and he could only make out bits of what she was saying. What had he done? He was totally confused. He thought back to what he'd been saying and couldn't find anything that would trigger this. The only way he'd find out was if she'd speak to him and that seemed near impossible.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He tried again, this time even softer. "Come here, it's ok." She remained where she was and he sighed. They sat in silence for a while; the only sounds breaking it were Hailie's quiet crying and occasional plea for him not to hurt her. Then he had an idea.

"Hailie, do you want to hear a song? Elaine told you I have three children, right? Well, Lily, my youngest, she likes this song. It helps her to sleep after a bad dream. Would you like to hear it?" He asked tentatively. She sniffed quite loudly and gave a small nod.

"Ok, I'll be back in a moment." He got up and grabbed his guitar from the other room. Harry sat back down and started to play, first of all he just played a soft melody and then as she relaxed slightly, he began to sing softly;

.

_When you couldn't sleep at night_  
><em>Scared things wouldn't turn out right<em>  
><em>I would hold your hand and sing to you<em>

_Caterpillar in the tree_  
><em>How you wonder who you'll be<em>  
><em>Can't go far but you can always dream<em>

_Wish you may and wish you might_  
><em>Don't you worry, hold on tight<em>  
><em>I promise you there will come a day<em>  
><em>Butterfly fly away<em>

_Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away_  
><em>Flap your wings now you can't stay<em>  
><em>Take those dreams and make them all come true<em>

_Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away_  
><em>We've been waiting for this day<em>  
><em>All along and knowing just what to do<em>  
><em>Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away.<em>

_._

He looked up and saw she was watching him with curious red rimmed eyes and he noticed she'd stopped crying.

He smiled, "Do you like it?" Harry asked and she nodded mutely. He put the guitar down to the side and opened his arms slightly.

"Come and sit with me, I won't hurt you I promise." She hesitated and then cautiously crawled forwards from underneath the table. Harry expected her to stop when she neared him but she climbed straight into his lap and buried her head in his chest. Harry sighed and as he started rubbing small circles on her back she tensed; but he kept on and she relaxed, sniffling slightly.

"Was it something I said?" He asked gently and he could feel her tense up again. _That's a yes then._

"I promise you Hailie, that I will never hurt you. What bit of it made you think that?" There was a long silence before she answered in a whisper;

"You said, 'just us'. Bad things happen when people leave for a while. Bad men- don't like it... don't want..." He could feel her breathing becoming shallow and so he soothed her before asking another question.

"Do you mean 'man', not 'men'? 'Men' means more than one. Whatever your father did, I promise you're safe here." Harry murmured.

"Men." She said, nodding against him.

"Your father's friends?" He asked her evenly but his insides were burning with curiosity. What had gone on?

She nodded again into his shirt, he was sure he would be left with snot stains.

"Did they hurt you?" He asked quietly. She gave another shaky nod and kept her head buried.

"What did they do?" As soon as he said it he knew he shouldn't have. He should have stuck with the yes or no questions. She shook her head frantically and tensed up again.

"No.. no, please. Can't." She mumbled, breathing erratically again. After over fifteen minutes of soothing and gentle words she calmed down enough to fall asleep on him. He stood up quite awkwardly and his legs ached, Harry stood there for another few minutes as the feeling returned into the left one and then made his way to her bedroom where he lay her down and tucked her in. Drawing up a chair, he slumped into it. This was difficult, he thought. He'd found out that there were more than just her father involved in the abuse and that was something that wasn't in the case. He got up and went to the living room where he flooed Elaine Dowbridge.

"Hello there Mr. Potter. I had a feeling you would be calling, I did say didn't I? Had enough-" she began rather smugly, her head materialising in the flames.

"Actually, I just wanted to ask something." He cut in. "Who was involved in the abuse?" Harry asked bluntly.

"Well, the father," She said, sounding confused. "But we didn't find out much as the child wouldn't speak. We had to find a foster home as soon as possible so the case was dropped. The father is dead and so there was no need to investigate further."

"I've just found out that his friends were at some point involved. I don't know what happened yet, but I intend on finding out." Harry said, his voice rising, "You should never have dropped the case!"

"She wouldn't speak. We gave her plenty of time and she just wouldn't help us out." Elaine reasoned in a crisp voice. "The child got worse and so, for her best interests, we decided to stop the investigation and let her move on."

Harry sighed and in a forced calm he carried on, "But it hasn't helped though has it? With all these foster homes she's been to, surely one of them would've helped her. I mean, even in the smallest way of letting her know they weren't going to beat the crap out of her!" His voice had risen before he could stop it and his anger was getting the better of him. Taking a deep breath, he went on;

"Yet she's still frightened. She's lashed out already and that doesn't exactly show that she's had any trustworthy adults in her life. Who fostered her and what happened? If she's staying here then I have the right to know, don't lie cause you think I'll get scared off Elaine." He warned, meeting her eyes with a steady glare. She looked at him for a moment and sighed.

"Alright," she began, "You know that she's been with eight different families. Each of those contacted us within the first three days wanting us to collect her again." She paused.

"Yes, I know this." Harry said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Well, they reported tantrums, violent ones. Where she would break things and become quite hysterical. Harry nodded thinking about the episode in the kitchen. "They also said she would lash out physically, injuring them or their children." Harry cut in,

"Hang on. Why didn't you tell us? I have my children returning here tomorrow and only _now_ do you say she's violent! I won't have her hurting them Elaine. When were you going to tell us? After she'd hurt them, or maybe not at all?" He accused. She looked rather guilty and Harry deduced it was the latter.

"You would never have taken her. We needed to find a home!" She said desperately through the crackling of the flames.

"No, I would have let my mother in-law know that they'd be staying for longer than the weekend." Harry said simply. "I told you before Elaine, I wouldn't just give up on her. Not when we're her family, however distant that may be." Elaine gave a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Harry. I should have taken you seriously." Harry didn't understand the woman. One minute she was stern, the next she was warmer towards him. He sighed and they said their goodbyes, Harry insisting he wasn't giving up and Elaine looking rather relieved.

He remained in the living room for some time after and was staring into the fire when the creaky stair disturbed his thoughts. He looked towards the door and a few moments after Hailie appeared clutching the dog teddy looking apprehensive and he noticed she trembled slightly.

"You woke up?" S_tupid question. _She nodded and walked around the chair coming to a stop in front of him. They looked at each other for a moment and Harry could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes; determination and sheer terror, but before he could say anything she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be naughty." She said quietly, looking down. "I will make it better." Perplexed, Harry said;

"Hailie, you haven't done anything wrong. You were scared, it's ok. Although we still need to sort out a punishment for smashing up the kitchen." He said it teasingly but Hailie's shoulders trembled and she mumbled,

"Please, I'll make it better, I'll be a good girl." Nothing could've prepared him for what she did next as she came closed and her hand came forwards. Harry sat there in shock for a moment until he realised she was undoing his belt.

"Whoa! Hailie no!" He scooted backwards out of her reach and tied his belt again. Hailie was standing there still, shocked and confused.

"Hailie, that's not... we don't... you shouldn't... what on earth..."

"I'm sorry," she apologised, picking up the teddy she'd dropped when she had reached forwards. She was still trembling and Harry was completely bewildered and unable to string a coherent sentence together. Finally he regained enough composure to ask,

"Is that what you do for punishment?" Harry's heart sank when she gave a small nod.

"It makes them not mad." She whispered as she held on tightly to the dog.

"Hailie, it's wrong what they made you do. You do know that right? You should _never_ have had to do that. It's... totally wrong Hailie." He said horrified shaking his head. "I said before, punishment here is _not_ that or anything like that." He said, ignoring the flinch, he took her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Blue met green as he stressed, "_We won't hurt you_. You lose privileges; that's all." She nodded mutely and came forwards, this time climbing onto his lap and burying her head in his shirt. He sat there stunned once again before he relaxed and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

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><p>Ginny apparated just beyond the wards of her home and trudged up the drive. She definitely needed Harry to sort it so that she could apparate directly inside like he could. It was a work in progress, he'd said. So far he'd keyed it into his magical signature but it was taking time to find a way around the many wards and enchantments on the manor as they were far more intricate than Hogwarts' ones. Finally she opened the front door and tossed her bag down and kicked her shoes off to the side. She wandered through the house looking for her Harry and came to a stop when she entered the living room.<p>

"Oh." She whispered softly. He was fast asleep on the sofa with an equally slumbering Hailie in his arms who was clutching that silly dog teddy in one hand and the other was firmly grasped onto Harry's shirt. Ginny smiled at the sight, it seemed like they had had a good day.

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><p>.<p>

Hey guys, anyone recognise the song? It's a Miley Cyrus one. Usually I'm not a fan of that stuff but it seemed to fit, even though I altered it slightly. Just wondering, is this correctly rated or should I rate it higher? Please let me know! Thanks for taking time to read this drivel and I am especially thankful for the reviews I get, you have no idea how happy it makes me :D.

P.S - The random dots are to space it out a bit, I hate it looking cramped.

P.P.S - Sorry that it's quite short, it's just that I wanted to leave it where it was.

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	5. Chapter 5  Ducks and Dogs

**Opening Old Wounds.**

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_She wandered through the house looking for her Harry and came to a stop when she entered the living room._

_"Oh." She whispered softly. He was fast asleep on the sofa with an equally slumbering Hailie in his arms who was clutching that silly dog teddy in one hand and the other was firmly grasped onto Harry's shirt. Ginny smiled at the sight, it seemed like they had had a good day._

_._

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><p><span>Chapter 5 – Ducks and Dogs.<span>

.

It was around eleven o'clock when Ginny had finished tidying up around the house and just generally cleaning up. She'd had a quick dinner and made her way into the living room. She'd better wake Harry up or he'd get a stiff neck and sore back if she left him there for the night.

"Harry," She said softly, touching his shoulders gently as she knew he hated to be shaken awake. "Harry, wake up." He mumbled something that sounded like 'octagon' and Ginny chuckled quietly. Instead she carefully unwrapped Harry's arm from around Hailie and tried to pry her hand away from his shirt as she picked her up. Harry however stirred from the sudden lack of contact and reached up unconsciously, pulling Hailie back towards him which made Ginny snort quite loudly and childishly giggle. He was unbelievably clingy when he was asleep, though he firmly denied it whenever she brought it up.

"No, please don't." Harry whimpered as a frown flitted across his face. This sobered Ginny up immediately. Was he dreaming of that? It had been so long since he had but she should have known that this was going to bring up memories. She closed her eyes and shook her head when she left the room. She didn't have the heart to wake either of them.

When Harry woke he lay still for a moment trying to figure out why he was partially sitting. His neck felt unbearably stiff and his lower back ached. He may have only been thirty-three but he thought that the amount of times he'd landed on his back either through quidditch or his many encounters with Voldemort had left him worse for wear. He then noticed there was a small weight on his lap which spread up onto his chest. It took a few moments for him to remember what happened the previous night. Definitely previous night, he thought, as he could hear the sound of the birds outside and could feel the soft light of dawn through his eyelids. He cracked open an eye and looked down to see Hailie curled in his lap sleeping peacefully. A blanket was draped over them; Ginny must have seen the pair when she came in. The memories of the previous night flooded his mind quite suddenly and almost suffocated him. He knew deep down that what she had endured was worse than what he had. She was forced to do stuff that no child should _ever _be put through. Anger coursed through him as the unbidden images flitted through his mind. This child had been abused far deeper than what they had originally thought. Far more than he himself had been through and even though it took a long time for him to admit it; he knew that what he had suffered was abuse and neglect.

Looking up he noticed that the curtains were fluttering and the magazine on the table was flicking back and forth through pages. The fire stretched menacingly in the grate and it was a long moment before Harry realised that there was no window open and it was his magic that was running wild. Taking a few deep breaths he closed his eyes and reined it in. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare the child any further. He'd already scared himself; he hadn't lost control like that in a very long time.

He sat there for a few more hours until he deemed it an acceptable enough time to be awake. He got up and laid Hailie down on the sofa, covering her with the blanket. He made his way to the kitchen and began cooking some pancakes, deep in thought. If there were other men then they would still be out there, possibly inflicting the same abuse onto another child, or children, he amended. They should never have dropped the case, he fumed, prodding the pancake with more force than necessary as the gas stove hissed.

"Oi, what's got into you?" Ginny said, taking a seat at the table as she watched him carefully. Harry didn't reply until the pancakes were done and he had sat down opposite. He looked reluctant to begin so Ginny waited patiently as they both ate their breakfast in silence. He began cautiously;

"Yesterday when you went, I said something that made Hailie freak out. She ran and hid under the dining room table and wouldn't come out for ages. Well, I sang the butterfly song and she did." He paused, smiling slightly, but it turned into a frown as he carried on. "After, she thought she deserved to be punished. For running away I guess," He shrugged, "Well, anyway... she uh..." He trailed off, suddenly pale. Ginny just sat there perplexed as Harry took a shaky breath.

"Gin, she tried..." He tried again. "She was going to... Ugh!" He said frustrated. Ginny was really confused now. Taking a deep breath he managed to say it.

"Ginny. She tried to undo my belt. To... you know..." His eyebrows rose suggestively and she gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth as she paled.

"No." She whispered, horrified, shaking her head. Harry looked solemn.

"I stopped her and told her it was wrong and all that. But she said it was what made _them_ happy. More than one person has been abusing her Gin." He looked distraught, his eyes pleading. "She's had it far worse than what happened to me. How am I meant to help her if it's beyond what I can understand?"

"Harry." She said firmly, taking his hand. "Don't you dare belittle anything you went through, I won't have any of it." She looked at him with a glare that was reminiscent of Mrs Weasley and he looked down at the table. "And as for not understanding," Her voice softer now which Harry thought as safe enough to look up, "Did I understand? No. Did I have any clue as to what you went through? No. Could I help you..?" She left the last unanswered.

"Of course. You have." Harry said, giving a small smile, though his eyes betrayed the anguish he felt.

...

Ten minutes later Harry was floo calling the Burrow, asking whether they could have the kids for a few more days, whilst Ginny was still in the kitchen. Her mind was reeling and she was becoming more and more frustrated the more she thought. Harry had explained about the violence and the day in more detail when Ginny had asked. She just couldn't believe that someone could do such things to a child. What happened to the loving homes that all children were entitled to? How on earth did these things go unnoticed? She knew the answer to the second question. No one had noticed what Harry had put up with simply because he was so good at hiding those things. She still wouldn't have known if he hadn't _wanted_ to tell her. Since the day he was left with his Aunt and Uncle to the day he went to Hogwarts for the first time, he had suffered at that house. She was thankful that they had stopped when they feared what he could do when he'd found out about his abilities.

Hailie soon appeared in the kitchen and Ginny smiled warmly as she pulled out a seat and served her some pancakes. She sat down with her and asked whether she'd like to go for a walk to see the grounds afterwards. Hailie just shrugged and picked through her food. A few minutes later, Harry came down and told Ginny that he was going to pack more clothes for the kids and that it was fine for them to stay for a few more days. When he noticed Hailie was listening he had explained that it was so they could have some peace and quiet for just the three of them before they were bombarded with rowdy children and Hailie smiled a little. Hailie was much more responsive to Harry, Ginny thought, with a twinge of jealousy. And as soon as she felt it she stamped it out again. It was childish and unnecessary. They were there to help her and it shouldn't matter who got through to her.

Harry was going to be staying at the Burrow for lunch so he made his way to the floo with the extra luggage. Three children wore a lot of clothes! Ginny went into Hailie's bedroom where she was sat on her bed, reading a book.

"Hey, what're you reading?" She asked, walking over and sitting on the end of the bed. Hailie looked up apprehensively and glanced at the book, shutting it.

"Cinderella?" Ginny read. "I've never read muggle fairytales. I grew up with The Tales of Beedle the Bard and The Snuffling Snarglepuff." She mused. Hailie looked at her as though she'd grown a few heads. "Oh, right! Muggle upbringing, I forgot." She said, laughing quietly. Hailie looked at the book again and held it out to Ginny.

"Do you want me to read it to you?" She asked and Hailie gave a small nod. Smiling, Ginny climbed onto the bed, tossing he shoes off and crawling back so that she was leaning against the wall where Hailie joined her. Not close enough to be touching, but close enough, Ginny thought. Halfway through reading, Ginny asked Hailie to read a couple of lines to her. She began tentatively but then struggled on a few words. It would have been ok if they were actually _difficult, _but Ginny knew that Lily would've managed them just fine. Before it could escalate, she took over again, assuring Hailie that she did well because she felt an explosive tantrum coming on the more words Hailie failed to read.

Afterwards, Ginny said that she'd take her down to feed the ducks in the pond which was through the trees to the right of the manor. Hailie seemed unsure, so Ginny kept upbeat, encouraging her and trying to make it an enjoyable outing. She dressed Hailie in a yellow sundress and little white shoes that used to belong to Lily but she'd outgrown them not long ago. Even though they were the same age, Hailie was definitely smaller. They walked over the grounds and made their way to the small forest which surrounded the manor. After a few minutes of walking through the trees, Hailie nervously took Ginny's hand which Ginny squeezed back assuring she was safe here and that nothing dangerous lived in this forest.

Soon they came to a small clearing and in the middle of it sat a small pond. Reeds and tall grass surrounded it and there was a little stream that ran down into the pond from the trees. Ginny led Hailie over near the edge and sat down and Hailie did the same. She took out the bread she brought and handed some to Hailie, explaining to her that it needed to be broken up so that it could be eaten by the ducks. Hailie copied and they were soon throwing bits of bread into the pond where the half a dozen ducks were paddling greedily to the floating bits of food.

Hailie smiled quite a bit as they sat there and Ginny's spirits lifted. She seemed to take such pleasure in simple things and it reminded her of Harry. To Ginny, feeding the ducks when she was little wasn't such a big thing as it was a regular occurrence and so it lost its magic. But the smile on Hailie's face made Ginny realise again that she was very lucky to have such a warm and loving childhood.

They sat there for a while watching the ducks swimming and diving for the sinking bread. Soon they got up and made their way to the house, Hailie taking her hand with much more conviction then earlier. Hailie stopped and looked at the quidditch pitch with a frown, obviously wondering what it was. So Ginny explained the game of quidditch and that she could watch them fly if she wanted. She also added that perhaps Harry would teach her how to fly on the small broom they had for the children to learn on as it didn't fly further than a few feet from the floor. Hailie's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

...

Ginny prepared lunch and she made conversation with Hailie who sat at the table. It might have been rather stilted and one-way, but she answered, sometimes with a smile. They talked about the ducks and Ginny asked whether Hailie had ever had any animals. She shook her head sadly and asked Ginny the same question.

"Well, we had chickens at the Burrow and an owl Errol. He was a complete klutz! He crashed into the window so many times!" She laughed fondly. "And a rat Scabbers... well, that's a long story." She said her brow furrowed. "Mum's had a few owls since and we've got an owl, Jasper's his name. He was there in the living room the first night you came. We have a few others but Jasper is Harry's. You'll barely see the others because they're up in the owlery most of the time." She explained. "Although now we're on the subject of pets, I'd love a puppy." Ginny said wistfully and Hailie had a huge smile.

"I like dogs." She said nodding.

"Well then," Ginny said, turning to face Hailie, "we shall just have to pester Harry about it then!" Hailie looked delighted and gave a little giggle.

"Can you magic up animals?" She asked.

"Well, you can transfigure them. That's when you change something into something else. But you need something to start off with and I've never been too good at transfiguration, that's more your Aunt Hermione's forte-"

"My Aunt?" Hailie interrupted. Ginny stopped herself. How on earth did she just land herself in this? It had been so natural to think of Hermione and Ron as Hailie's aunt and uncle that she hadn't thought about it. Did that mean she saw Hailie as her daughter? She realised the child was watching her closely and schooled her face into a small reassuring smile. Hell, she might as well go with it now.

"Well, she'd be your aunt if you wanted her to be. I mean, Hermione and Ron are James, Albus and Lily's aunt and uncle so if you wanted to stay here then they'd be yours too I guess." Ginny explained. She watched for Hailie's reaction and saw the emotions play across her face; confusion, wonder, hope, apprehension and it finally settled on a contented smile that warmed her heart.

"I'd like that." She whispered.

A few hours later, they were both sat in the library. Ginny had insisted she helped her with some reading and Hailie had, with a bit of coaxing, agreed. They sat at the table with a few books around them; they were all children's stories and mostly muggle ones. That's where Harry found them when he came home. He stood in the doorway for a while, leaning on the frame, watching the scene before him. Ginny was reading a line and then tilting the book slightly so that Hailie could read the next. As they read, Harry recognised it as Hansel and Gretel from when it had been read to the class in Nursery. He enjoyed the reading time in school as the Dursley's didn't have any books, all they had were Petunia's gossip magazines or Dudley's wrestling ones and Harry certainly wasn't allowed to touch those. When Hailie got stuck on a word, Ginny had waited patiently, and then prompted when the child became frustrated. Throughout the story, Harry had to cover up the urge to snigger at Ginny's expressions and when it got to the part where they pushed the witch into the oven, she jumped up and let out a triumphant 'Whoop!' and he outright laughed.

"How long have you been there?" Ginny accused as a pink blush crept across her face. Harry carried on laughing as he joined them at the table.

"Uh... about... the whole story." He said grinning. Hailie smiled and giggled at them; this destroyed Ginny's indignation in a second and so she sat back down.

"So then, reading?" Harry asked Hailie and she nodded.

"Helping me with reading." Hailie answered.

"Right then, now that you've been here quite a while, time for a bath!" Ginny said as she piled up the books and returned them to their shelves with a flick of her wand. Harry picked out a few books and flicked through them, finding something to occupy his time whilst Ginny ran the bath.

She helped Hailie into the bath and then left to find Harry. Seeing him still in the library she asked,

"Harry, I just need to floo Hermione a minute, she asked me to call round yesterday and I forgot. I just need to tell her I'm still alive and all that. Can you watch Hailie?" He looked at her for a moment and said rather plaintively,

"She's in the bath. I can't Gin, you know that." He stood up and sighed tiredly.

"Harry, at some point you've got to." She reasoned gently but it was no use as he walked past her and said that Hermione could wait half hour. She went back to the bathroom and was washing Hailie's hair when she asked,

"Where's Harry?" A long moment passed before she answered,

"He's busy Hailie, you can see him after your bath."

"Why didn't he bath me?" She asked quietly. "Was it because I was naughty before?"

"No Hailie, of course not. He's just... not too fond of bath time himself." Ginny said lightly and thankfully Hailie didn't question her further. Ginny told her about the three absent Potters as she dried and put pyjamas on. She told her what each of them was like and about James' pranks with a disapproving shake of her head and as she helped Hailie into bed, she kissed her on the head lightly, ignoring the slight flinch Hailie gave.

"Goodnight Hailie." Ginny said as she turned off the light.

"Goodnight." Ginny had almost closed the door when she heard Hailie call her name.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Harry." Hailie replied quietly.

"Sure, I'll get him now." Ginny went and found Harry in his study and told him that Hailie wanted to see him. He looked at her nonplussed but went to the room anyway when she shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, what's up?" Harry asked as he opened the door. Hailie was curled up on her side and was watching him. The light that seeped in from the hallway illuminated her delicate face, her blue eyes reflecting it as she answered softly,

"Can you stay please?" Harry walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Ok, but why?" he said gently.

"You were gone... all day. And don't want... bad dreams. Sorry." She mumbled and hid her face in the blanket. Harry reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, ignoring her flinch again.

"You're safe here, whether it's me or Ginny with you, you're safe. And there's nothing you need to apologise for Hails." He assured, rubbing her arm soothingly. She smiled at the nickname which went unnoticed by Harry as he was looking at the carpet, immersed in his own thoughts.

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><p>Another chapter for y'all, even though I hadn't planned on finishing it until the weekend. Guess I just got carried away :) The next won't be so quickly updated as I'm rather busy at the moment. Not sure what else to say here apart from to request very nicely for a review... So yes, pretty, pretty please review, it makes me all giggly and mushy inside. Yes, so eloquently put Tayla, well done.<p>

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	6. Chapter 6  Comforting Cupboards

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**Opening Old Wounds.**

_"You were gone... all day. And don't want... bad dreams. Sorry." She mumbled and hid her face in the blanket. Harry reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, ignoring her flinch again._

_"You're safe here, whether it's me or Ginny with you, you're safe. And there's nothing you need to apologise for Hails." He assured, rubbing her arm soothingly. She smiled at the nickname which went unnoticed by Harry as he was looking at the carpet, immersed in his own thoughts._

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><p>.<p>

Chapter 6 – Comforting Cupboards.

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Ginny woke at precisely 6:34am and after much tossing and turning, found herself unable to fall back asleep. She lay on her side for a while, simply watching Harry's chest rise and fall with his steady breathing. It was soothing to watch him sleeping so peacefully and it filled her with such a warm feeling of contentment that it was almost overwhelming. She smiled fondly at his hair that was, as always, stuck up at all angles. He was sleeping on his stomach and his face was partially obscured by a deep red pillow, facing her.

She would never have thought, in a million years, that things would've turned out like they did. Oh yes, she was determined she would someday marry Harry Potter every since she read that story, _his_ story, of a little boy who defeated the darkest wizard in the wizarding world and freed them all, when she was four years old. Ginny scoffed, how silly she was. Growing up, she realised that the Harry she knew was a lot different to the hero that the books painted and found that she loved him all the more for it.

He stirred a little and then reached out his arm from under his pillow, wrapping it around Ginny's waist and pulling her towards him. She stifled a giggle as she tried to free herself. She struggled for a moment but then decided it was rather warm and there actually was no logical reason for her to leave the security and lovely comforting scent. Not that she could if she had to though; he was quite strong when he wanted to be.

The day passed in relative normality for them with the exception of a small tantrum when Hailie didn't want to get dressed. She had thrown things and messed her room up but it was over with quite less tears than the tantrum she'd had in the kitchen. She'd been quieter throughout the day but it wasn't such a big change as she barely spoke as it was. And she was dressed.

Harry explained the rules and as a punishment for being destructive, Hailie wasn't allowed to leave her room from lunch onwards with the exception of bathroom breaks. It really wasn't any different, Ginny had pointed out, as she had tons of toys and stuff to do in her room. But Harry reasoned it was the principle of the thing. No one likes to feel restricted in their freedom and even if she would prefer to stay in her room, the _choice_ had gone.

He could tell she was wary of him as soon as he mentioned a punishment but he'd gone on, eradicating any misconstrued thoughts which probably originated from her previous home. And so at ten o'clock, Harry sat in his study flipping through an old transfiguration text whilst Ginny was curled up on the living room sofa watching a re-run of The Simpsons and Hailie was upstairs in her bedroom fulfilling the punishment with a scowl.

Ginny stretched and yawned when the show ended and slowly traipsed her way up the staircase to find Harry. On her way past Hailie's room she paused to listen but there was no sound and Ginny deduced that the child had fallen asleep. She cracked open the door, glancing in and was surprised to see Hailie sat on her bed, staring towards the door with a stony glare that made Ginny start.

"I thought you were asleep," Ginny began as she walked fully into the room and sat on the bed with Hailie. Her eyes didn't soften at Ginny's gentle tone but she ploughed on regardless. "It's quite late you know. C'mon, I'll tuck you in." She stood up and looked down expectantly but Hailie didn't move.

"You can't tell me what to do." Hailie whispered menacingly and turned her gaze to meet Ginny. Frightened would be one word Ginny would have chosen to describe how she felt. Not frightened physically by a six year old, but frightened _for _the six year old who was clearly in so deep that she was struggling to find her feet.

"Hailie," Ginny said cautiously, not wanting to provoke another outburst, "There are rules to follow. Not because we want to annoy you or make you do things you don't want to do, but because it's for your own safety and wellbeing. That means that even though we ask you to do things you might not like, it's because we're the adults here and we only want to do what's best for you." Ginny watched her impassive face for a moment before adding, "When you meet James, Albus and Lily you'll see that they have chores to do around the house. They don't _like_ doing them but they have to be done. So, come on, let me tuck you in because it's far too late."

When she lifted the blanket Hailie suddenly shot forwards towards Ginny with her arms outstretched. She shoved her back forcefully.

"Go away!" She screamed as she glared venomously.

"Hey! What on earth is wrong with you?" Ginny screeched back as her temper flared. Hailie's face froze and then fell. She hacked out a sob as she darted off the bed and past Ginny. _Oh shit, _Ginny thought as her mind raced. Confusion was taking the place of the quickly evaporating anger and she felt terrible. Ginny debated going after the child but what would she say? Hailie was clearly not in a state to be seeing any more of Ginny at the moment and so she sat down on the bed, running her hands through her hair wearily.

As it turned out, Harry had been leaving the study when something waist-height slammed into him and pushed him off balance. He threw out his arm steadying himself against the wall and looked down to see Hailie trying to disentangle herself from him where she'd fallen. He saw the tears and quickly pulled her to him as he sat down on the floor in the hallway.

"Hails what's happened?" He asked, his brow furrowed. She was squirming against him, trying to flee but he held her, locking his arms in place. Hailie didn't answer for a minute of two as she struggled and only when she gave in and pulled herself closer to him did she speak.

"I'm bad." She whispered brokenly. "It's all wrong... I'm all wrong." Harry looked down at the top of her head in bewilderment. She always seemed to be seeing things in a warped version. No doubt this stemmed from some serious self-esteem issues but where exactly?

"Who said that Hails? Can you tell me please?" He asked gently. It was a long time before she spoke and what she said caught him completely off guard.

"Ginny." She mumbled. Harry froze. Ginny wouldn't. No way would she have said that.

"Hailie," Harry began slowly, "Ginny wouldn't say that, you know. You can't make things up about people it's not nice." He noticed her stiffen in his slackened arms and before he could react she had slipped out from his arms and run past down the corridor. He sat there and sighed. The child had worse mood swings than himself at fifteen, and those were bad! He got to his feet and wandered for a bit, why on earth did he have to get such a big house, he would never find her.

After about twenty minutes of fruitless searching, he squinted through the dark could only just make out Ginny who was flying high above the stands on the quidditch pitch. He waved her down and she landed with a thump next to him looking exhausted.

"I'm sorry Harry, I don't know what I've said, I just..." She sighed and before he could say anything she carried on, "Harry, I can't do this. I'm sorry, she's just too much and I can't keep track of every mood swing she throws." She looked up at him; resigned and frustrated at the same time.

"Gin, we said–" Harry said tentatively, wondering whether Hailie's accusation had any truth behind it as something had obviously happened between them.

"No, _you_ said. I'm sorry; I'm just not cut out for this." And with that she trudged past him and headed for the back door leaving him stood in the dark for a long moment.

Hailie was hiding. No one would find her here she thought. No one would find her in this cupboard. Although it smelled like bleach and it was a little cramped, she would be fine here. She thought about what had happened earlier and sniffled. They were nice and she liked them but they were the same as the others. They were nice for a little while until they realised how damaged and wrong you are. The woman had even said! And then the man, Harry, the one with the nice eyes, had said she lied. The other men called her a liar. They said she would never be believed because bad girls told lies. Bad girls were never believed.

They still hadn't found Hailie. It was now nearing one in the morning and Ginny had gone to bed a few minutes ago, leaving Harry to digest Ginny's explanation of Hailie's behaviour. She had lost her temper, yes, and she had said something she shouldn't have, yes. But it was misunderstood. Hailie had taken it to mean something deeper than it did. But then that didn't excuse Ginny for saying that as she knew how simple words could be twisted in someone's head. Someone who had heard them said maliciously beforehand. And for that reason Ginny had never called Harry a freak. Not even light-heartedly.

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><p>.<p>

I am so sorry for this pathetically short chapter but I've been really busy and tired and I just can't write when there's no will to write. If you get me... So anyway, this is about half the length of a usual chapter so I will make the next one even longer than around 3,000 words to make up for it. It just felt so long since an update that I wanted to at least update _something. _So yes. Hope you enjoyed it :)

P.S I wanted to thank you all _so much_ for your reviews and subscriptions, you can't imagine how happy it makes me reading them :) I really appreciate it, thank you x

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Time for me to open up Word and start typing then!


	7. Chapter 7 Home

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**Opening Old Wounds.**

_They still hadn't found Hailie. It was now nearing one in the morning and Ginny had gone to bed a few minutes ago, leaving Harry to digest Ginny's explanation of Hailie's behaviour. She had lost her temper, yes, and she had said something she shouldn't have, yes. But it was misunderstood. Hailie had taken it to mean something deeper than it did. But then that didn't excuse Ginny for saying that as she knew how simple words could be twisted in someone's head. Someone who had heard them said maliciously beforehand. And for that reason Ginny had never called Harry a freak. Not even light-heartedly._

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><p><span>Chapter 7 – Home.<span>

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Harry decided that some cleaning would help clear his head. Ever since he was little he had cleaned for the Dursley's and the repetitive motion and arduous tasks helped him de-stress. They didn't have a house elf so the house was always in a half-clean state because even though they were both home often, Ginny had been forbidden to clean anything to Petunia Dursley's level of cleanliness as Harry insisted that she leave things for him to do. After all, you don't gain any satisfaction from cleaning something that's already as clean as it can get. The satisfaction is in the change, he'd said, and over the years, Ginny had grown used to his random cleaning bursts and wisely left him alone when he was in one of those moods.

He went into the kitchen to get the cleaning products for the bathroom. When he opened the cupboard under the sink however, he was greeted with the sight of a small child fast asleep amongst the bottles. Harry blinked in shock and crouched down watching her. She was huddled against the back with her legs drawn up and her head was resting against the wall. Her arms hugged her knees in a comforting gesture and Harry's heart melted. She looked so innocent and fragile but he had to move her, she ought to be freezing. Tentatively he reached forwards to touch her arm as he called her name.

"Hailie wake up... C'mon." He coaxed gently but she didn't wake. He debated shaking her for half a second before that thought was instantly dispelled. Harry knelt down and slowly reached forwards to scoop her up, hitting his head on the pipe as he did so.

"Ah, bugger!" He hissed. With his head throbbing, he stood up and made his way to her bedroom where he laid her down and tucked her in. Climbing into his own bed, he thought resolutely, that he would not let Ginny give up on her. No matter how long it took, they would help her.

...

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The morning sun filtered through the gap between the curtains and stretched over the floor and up onto the bed, finally resting on a man who rolled over in an attempt to block the sun. The light also streamed in through the kitchen window where a red headed woman sat at a small table with her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee.

Almost a week had passed since Hailie had come to stay and things were improving slightly. She still had a few nightmares but she accepted comfort from Ginny and Harry more easily in the nights, preferring Harry though as things were still a little strained between the two females.

Today, the rest of the Potter family would be returning to Potter Manor and already the Burrow was alive with excited children.

"James dear, will you fetch the hairbrush from the bathroom for me?" Molly Weasley called from the bottom of the rickety staircase as Lily, Albus and Arthur sat at the kitchen table. Arthur Weasley was reading the Daily Prophet which was propped up behind his breakfast and Albus and Lily were both cutting up bits of bacon when Molly entered.

"Arthur! You're eating, not reading," she scolded as she snatched up the paper, "Have you made sure we have enough floo powder? We were almost out the last time I checked..." She rung her hands worriedly once she put down the paper.

"Yes Molly, I checked it yesterday so stop fretting." He said as her gave her a warm smile. "We've flooed them back and forth a thousand times already, I don't see why you're so worried." Molly shook her head and replied,

"I know, I know. I just keep thinking they're going to forget something."

Arthur chuckled, "And if they do? It's hardly as though they can't floo here afterwards and pick it up. Really Molly..." He said shaking his head. James entered the kitchen and sat down next to Lily, pulling a plate towards him.

"James, the hairbrush?" Molly asked and James looked up with a playful frown.

"Oh? But you didn't say please." He said innocently. She huffed and folded her arms which made them all stifle their snickers.

"Dad always said that we should say please and thank you." He recited with a grin. "But seeing as I'm such a nice person, I thought I'd get it for you anyway." James said as he pulled a hairbrush from his trouser pocket. Lily giggled and Albus was smirking as Molly took the brush with a rather reluctant 'thanks'. Molly Weasley was not one for being shown up.

Ten minutes later, bags were brought downstairs and placed next to the fireplace and Lily's hair had been brushed into a ponytail. The three Potter's lined up and were waiting for Molly to give her round of hugs and kisses when the floo behind them flared up and out stepped their mother.

"Hi guys! I've missed you so much." Ginny said, pulling each of them into an embrace as she stepped over the grate. Molly came into the room and the two exchanged a hug before Molly asked,

"Is everything ok?" She looked into her daughters eyes and raised an eyebrow at the implication. Ginny understood and nodded.

"Yeah mum, things are good. Rocky, but good." She smiled. Molly paused for a moment as she searched her face for something and then, feeling assured, she patted her cheek gently before turning to say goodbye the _Molly Weasley_ way, to the children.

Ginny took a moment to say a quick 'hello' to her father and let the children catch their breaths after almost being suffocated. Then finally, they gathered their bags and flooed through to Potter Manor. The house was still quiet when they came through so Ginny surmised that Harry was still asleep. Hailie however was sitting on the sofa with her legs stretched out and leaning against the armrest. She looked up, startled, at the sudden appearance and Ginny mentally kicked herself. She hadn't warned Hailie _when_ she was going to be picking them up today and Hailie was asleep when she'd walked past her bedroom before she left. Luckily none of the others had noticed her yet and they heaved in the luggage, dumping it in the corner of the room. Ginny gave a reassuring smile towards the blonde girl on the sofa and she gave a tentative one back.

"Everyone, this is Hailie. You know that she's staying with us and I want you to be extra kind and welcoming." The three of them turned to look at Hailie with curiosity as Ginny carried on. "That means you especially James, no pranks." She warned.

"Yeah, yeah." He waved it off as he sat on the other end of the sofa.

"Hello there, I'm James." He said, reaching out a hand for Hailie to shake. "I'm sure you've heard _loads_ about me." Albus scoffed while Hailie shook his hand nervously.

"Ignore him, he's a prat." Albus smiled warmly and Hailie shook the offered hand with a timid smile. Lily stepped forwards and beamed.

"Hey!" She said sticking out her hand. Ginny made a show of sorting books on the shelves so she could surreptitiously listen in and rescue Hailie if need be. It wasn't that she didn't trust her children, it was just that they could be rather boisterous and Hailie obviously wasn't used to that. They talked for a while, Lily asking the most questions about television shows and favourite things whilst Albus sat in the middle of the sofa and James lounged on the end. She noticed that Hailie was quiet, but she seemed reasonably comfortable so Ginny retreated to the kitchen with a book to leave them for a while.

Harry groggily made his way downstairs and paused when he heard the familiar voices of his children in the living room. Smiling, he opened the door and barely took in the sight of Hailie, James and Albus sitting on the couch when he was assaulted by a blur of red hair as it collided with his waist.

"Daddy!" He winced at the pitch and promptly lifted Lily up and hugged her.

"Heya Lil's. Hmm, missed me then?" He teased as she planted a rather sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"Uh-huh. But you missed me more." She said, waggling her tongue.

"Ah, got me there." He said and held up one of his arms in mock surrender. He looked over Lily's shoulder to Albus who was standing waiting for Lily to move. He put her down and with a bit more effort he scooped up Albus and gave him a long hug.

"Missed you dad." Albus whispered. Harry put him down and kissed his head. He looked over at James lounging on the sofa who was clearly thinking himself, at the age of thirteen, far too old for such public displays of affection. They looked at each other and Harry raised an eyebrow. It was a Snape-trait he picked up and loath to admit, carried off quite well. James pursed his lips, fighting a smile, and then after a few moments got up and walked towards Harry. He stopped in front of him and ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit _he_ picked up from _Harry. _Damn people and their mannerisms.

"Uh..." he began awkwardly, "I guess... I might've missed..." Harry was trying very hard to keep a straight face. _Think Snape._ He raised the other brow and waited.

"Ugh. I missed you ok Dad." James ground out and then stared fixedly at the floorboards. Harry barely suppressed a chuckle at his son's lack of eloquence and he pulled him into a fierce hug.

"It's only been a week you know. I know I'm pretty amazing... but still." Harry teased, earning a muffled scoff from James. He let James go and noticed the blush that had crept onto his face and laughed softly.

"I missed you too." Harry looked down to find the source of the voice and saw Hailie standing near, biting her lip cautiously. Harry managed to conceal his surprise and smiled, holding out his arms.

"Well of course you did." Harry said as he hugged Hailie. "Like I said, I _am _amazing." Harry heard a quiet laugh and smiled. When he released her, she went back to the sofa to carry on with a game of exploding snap and as he walked through to the kitchen he was surprised to see Ginny stood just inside the doorway.

"That was really kind of you." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer for her own hug.

"What was?" He asked as he snaked his arms around her waist.

"You included her in your little joke." Ginny murmured and then kissed him, when he pulled back he looked at her perplexed.

"What joke? I _am _bloody amazing." Harry said with a grin and she playfully swatted his head.

...

Hailie liked the Potters. They seemed to actually _care. _Not many people cared about her and for the first time in her life she felt safe. Harry was a very kind person, always looking after her and he always seemed to know how to make the bad things go away like the monsters in her nightmares and whenever she remembered the bad people he was the one who helped her breathe. She liked Ginny too but she was scary sometimes. Ever since she shouted at her, Hailie was worried that she might do it again and she hated it when people shouted.

James was funny, but he was older and the older someone is the scarier they can be because they're stronger. But then again, she didn't think James would do anything to hurt her because Harry and Ginny wouldn't let him and he was their son so Hailie's logic told her that no child of Harry and Ginny's would be a horrible child. Lily was loud sometimes and it hurt her ears, but she was a nice friend to Hailie. She shared all of her toys and showed her her bedroom before they both went to bed. She even lent Hailie a special colouring book which had pictures of magical creatures in like dragons and pygmy puffs.

Hailie wanted to learn as much as she could about the magical world and they were all very helpful, telling her about Hogwarts and the shops in Diagon Alley. It seemed that the longer she stayed with them, the more she felt like she belonged there. She was so nervous to tell Harry that she'd missed him even though it was only one night, but he didn't think she was stupid for saying it and she'd gotten a hug out of it too which she loved as Harry's hugs were the best. They made her feel warm and safe from everything, and even; Hailie was scared to admit, they made her feel loved.

She fell asleep to that thought and slept soundly throughout the night.

.

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><p>.<p>

I am so sorry it's not that long. I know I said that I would do more but it needed to end there as the next chapter is definitely better as a separate one. There's no plausible way I could split it with the name making no sense... so yeah, sorry about that. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter as I really enjoyed writing it, the morbid person that I am.

Oh, and please review for this one, I know it's pretty uneventful but I guess it's just a filler. Can't go from one drama to the next without some normalcy now can we?

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	8. Chapter 8  Sun, Sand & Sombre Thoughts

**.**

**Opening Old Wounds.**

_._

_Hailie wanted to learn as much as she could about the magical world and they were all very helpful, telling her about Hogwarts and the shops in Diagon Alley. It seemed that the longer she stayed with them, the more she felt like she belonged there. She was so nervous to tell Harry that she'd missed him even though it was only one night, but he didn't think she was stupid for saying it and she'd gotten a hug out of it too which she loved as Harry's hugs were the best. They made her feel warm and safe from everything, and even; Hailie was scared to admit, they made her feel loved._

_She fell asleep to that thought and slept soundly throughout the night._

_._

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><p>.<p>

Chapter 8 – Sun, Sand and Sombre Thoughts.

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**A/N – Dobby didn't die. He _almost _did, but they were able to close the wound and heal him. I love Dobby too much for that.**

**Also, I have no idea whether bathers are a British word or whatever so I'll explain anyway. Bathers are 'swimsuits'. Ha-ha, swimsuit sounds funny...**

**.**

"Where shall we go today?" Ginny announced over breakfast. The feeling of being stuck inside for a week was really starting to grate on Ginny and she just needed to get out and at once she was assaulted with suggestions; from the cinema to a zoo and finally they settled on a visit to the beach.

"Harry, we're going to the beach." She informed as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, alright then." He smiled as he grabbed a slice of toast. "Driving?"

"Well I guess so. We can hardly floo there can we?" Ginny said sarcastically. Harry refused to rise to the bait and kissed her on her head before disappearing into the living room.

"Can I take my bathers?" Lily asked excitedly, practically jumping in her seat.

About an hour later, the Potters were all ready for a day at the beach. They were going to be driving to Shell Cottage where they could meet Bill, Fleur and their children Victorie, Dominique and Louis and then wander down to enjoy the last of the summer sun. Luckily, the Department of Magical Transportation had improved the use of portkeys over the years and they could now be used on large objects meaning Harry didn't have to drive _all_ of the way; they could simply portkey the car to a hotspot and drive from there. For the sake of cars and other large objects flitting around the country, the department had set up hotspots every few hundred miles or so. That way, a car couldn't materialise right into the path of an unsuspecting muggle driver; or anything really. One of the very few things that Harry used his fame to bend to rules for was for him to be able to create a portkey whenever he liked and avoid the authorisation that others had to go through.

It was well worth the flirtatious meeting with the head of the department; Harry thought as the car felt like it was being squeezed through a tube and yanked up through the air in a whirlwind of colour. It felt something in between of apparition and a portkey when transporting such large objects.

Harry looked over his shoulder as the tyres touched solid ground with a thump and noticed with relief that everyone seemed to have held their breakfast down. Ginny sat beside him in a simple pale green sundress and behind her sat Hailie who wore a dress very similar to Lily's, though it was purple instead of blue. She seemed to be comfortable enough so he set off, exiting the abandoned warehouse that was the hotspot in Falmouth.

As they drove, Ginny glanced into the mirror in her sun visor which she'd conveniently angled so that she could see the three children sitting behind. Albus sat quietly, gazing out of the window as they raced through country lanes. Hailie was quiet too, but with some encouragement from Lily, began a game of I Spy.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... Puh" Lily said, giggling.

"Ahem!" Ginny interrupted with such a good imitation of Dolores Umbridge that Harry glanced at her quickly before feeling assured that his wife was indeed his wife.

"I mean P." Lily corrected. Hailie's brow furrowed as she searched beyond the window at the passing trees and fields.

After a few long minutes she said, "Plane?" and Lily shook her head.

"Nope, and it's aeroplane. I'll give you a clue; it's inside the car."

"Hey! You didn't say that before!" Hailie whinged.

"Whoopsie, I forgot!" Lily laughed.

"Okay okay..." She sighed and began trying to form words with the letter P. "So,P... puh... par... plah... poo..." Hailie's guesses were abruptly masked with Lily and Albus' laughter. Harry snickered from the front and Ginny scowled.

"Hailie..." Ginny admonished lightly, shaking her head and hiding a smirk herself. The rest of the journey was spent with the sounds of random fits of childish giggles whenever Lily would remember Hailie's guessing.

Harry pulled the car into the space next to the cottage. Shell Cottage looked just as it did when he first saw it, perched upon the cliffs in Tinworth and covered in shells. The crisp sea air was refreshing as they stepped out and although there was barely a breeze, the air was cooler than what they were used to, especially as they were nearing the end of August.

Harry left Ginny to gather their things from the boot of the car and proceeded to round up the three children. James hadn't gone with them as he was staying for the day with Teddy so it was just Albus, Lily and Hailie. It would be Hailie's first time she met anyone else from the extended family and so Harry was instantly using his heightened Auror senses to keep Hailie from feeling overwhelmed. He kept close to her as they made their way to the door and he could sense her standing just behind him; close, and also partially hidden.

As Ginny raised a hand to knock, the door flew open and they were greeted enthusiastically by a flour-covered Fleur.

"Oh, it's been too long!" exclaimed Fleur, pulling both Ginny and Harry into a hug. Her accent was still there, but her English had improved drastically. She ushered them in and they kicked off their shoes. Harry was glad to have called them beforehand to let them know they would be bringing Hailie as Fleur surely would've questioned Harry's lack of speech. He'd said a polite 'hello' but remained quiet afterwards, well aware of Hailie's hand that had surreptitiously crept up to and held onto the bottom of his jumper.

Lily and Albus went off in search of the other children who were supposedly outside chasing the Puffskein named Derrick. Ginny and Fleur were seated in the cosy living room which Bill was already seated. Harry looked behind and nodded towards where the Lily and Albus had ran off but she shook her head negatively and clutched his jumper tighter.

Ginny was determined to steer any attention from Hailie and quickly engaged Fleur into a discussion on cake recipes, prompting Fleur to give her every detail of the cake she'd been baking prior to their arrival. She noticed Bill glance over to the door where Harry stood with Hailie and she saw his curiosity. He opened his mouth to ask something as Harry came over with Hailie and took a seat so she quickly cut him off.

"Tell Harry about the curses around the Cosgrove Estate." She said, raising her eyebrows meaningfully. Luckily Bill understood and launched into the tale of his assignment the previous week.

Fleur was happy to listen to Bill's story again it seemed and as no further distractions were needed from Ginny, she was content to just watch Harry. She'd always hated that she couldn't see him at work when he was on an assignment (for obvious reasons) as the few times when he had been fighting against Voldemort or his Death Eaters, she'd found it enthralling; It was his 'Auror mode'. His jaw would set, his eyes would be the perfect mask of contentment and relaxation but at the same time gave off a subtle wary edge and you could see him analysing everything if you knew what to look for. He would track every move someone made, the things people said and the atmosphere around them whether it be negative or charged magically. After being around Harry, you could pick up on his aura which reached out, seeking and assessing, when he was in 'Auror mode'.

Harry sat and listened to Bill's story with Hailie sat behind him on the armchair. He was sat without leaning back and she was still holding onto him. Luckily no one had said anything yet.

"Oh, you must be Hailie." Fleur said, leaning to peer behind Harry. _Damn it,_ Harry thought. He just _had _to jinx it. Hailie retreated further behind and Harry's eyes met Fleur's, causing her to back off quickly.

"Yeah, this is Hailie. She's shy until she gets to know you." Harry explained rather bluntly in a hope to keep the distance between Fleur and Hailie. Fortunately, Bill and Fleur knew when they shouldn't push Harry and Bill understood that if Harry had to resort to his Auror training then the child's trust in other people must be shattered, especially judging by the way she clung to him.

They sat and talked about nonsensical things, purely created to ease the attention from Hailie and for that, Harry was incredibly grateful. It wasn't long before the children piled into the living room with demands to visit the beach at the base of the cliff. It was the same beach that Dobby had apparated to and come within a hairs breadth of dying on.

Bill remained in the cottage whilst Harry, Ginny and Fleur led the six children down the weather-beaten steps that climbed precariously up the less dangerous side of the cliff. Bill had enforced a few wards so that no one could fall, but Harry held onto Lily and Hailie's hands tightly nonetheless.

Ginny enlarged a blanket and the three adults sat down when the kids made a dash for the water, all except Hailie. She watched Harry out the corner of her eye as he pulled her down onto his lap and was whispering something in her ear. She would ask him about it later, she thought, and struck up a conversation with Fleur about her parents. Albus chased Louis through the water, determined to dunk him under and get him back. So far Louis had managed to dunk both him and Dominique and was currently chasing his older sister Victorie. He waded out further but made sure to keep an eye on Lily who wasn't a strong swimmer and luckily there weren't any strong waves.

Harry looked out across the beach remembering that night in late March. He never thought that the little elf would make it because he'd lost so much blood but they were so fortunate. Harry remembered frantically trying to close the wound where Bellatrix's silver dagger had penetrated. Thankfully Bill had come rushing out of the house at Harry's yells and together they'd stemmed the bleeding and partially healed the wound, leaving Dobby critical, but alive. He was then transported back to Hogwarts as that was where his master was. Snape, having been Headmaster, had gained rights to the house-elves of Hogwarts and Harry felt numb when he heard that it was Snape who had healed Dobby, undoubtedly finding out from Lucius what happened at the manor.

His mind drifted over that day and it sent chills up his spine. He remembered the feeling of utter helplessness as he'd tried to stop the heavy flow of blood that had soaked his clothes. The icy numbness that had spread over his heart when he saw Dobby's eyelids flutter shut and his own strangled cries for help when everything seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time would forever stay with him. Dobby had saved them that day... right over there where Lily was standing... but the tide was out that night, so they weren't stood in the water...

She'd been watching him for a few minutes now and even Fleur seemed to have noticed. The two women were watching Harry who sat on the other end of the blanket with a faraway look in his eyes. Amongst the distance there, pain and grief whirled, darkening their shade of green. Ginny stared, confused. It seemed Hailie was too because she looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"The elf, Dobby." Fleur whispered, and Ginny understood. She nodded towards Fleur and scooted over to Harry, leaning against his shoulder.

"Hailie, could you go and stay with Albus for us please?" Ginny asked quietly. Hailie looked back at Harry for a moment before getting up and wandering slowly towards the others in the water, glancing back a few times as she went. Ginny looked to her left and noticed Fleur had gotten up and was walking down to the water as well."

She curled an arm through his and they sat in silence for a while.

"Dobby?" She ventured. His eyes tightened and he gave a stiff nod. "He's okay Harry. We'll go and see him sometime soon." She said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Soon? But how long is soon Gin? I haven't seen him in ages and after all he's done for me, how could I forget that?" He leaned his head atop of hers and muttered, "He probably hates me now..."

"Oi!" Ginny snapped, sitting up to face him. "I'll call him here now if you want to carry on talking absolute bullshit." Harry's eyebrows rose but he made no comment.

"Dobby." Ginny summoned.

CRACK.

"Gin! I didn't say anything!" Harry protested. "I didn't need-"

But Harry's complaint was cut short by a very enthusiastic hug from a house elf wearing an assortment of multicoloured clothes.

"Dobby has missed Harry Potter and his Miss very much sir!" Dobby squeaked and his eyes were brimming with tears as he pulled himself away from Harry. "Dobby hopes Harry Potter and his Miss and his children are good. Is Dobby's hopes true sir?" The elf looked at him hopefully and the smile that spread across Harry's face was enough to send Dobby's tears over the edge.

"How are you Dobby? I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in almost a year now." He said sincerely.

"Dobby is happy working in Hogwarts still sir," His ears flapped as he nodded, "Dobby is being paid by the Headmistress and Kreacher is also being paid still Harry Potter sir. Did sir have a request to make of Dobby?"

"That's great Dobby," Ginny answered. "No, no, we just wanted to see you." She smiled and he beamed, wiping tears from his face.

"Like friends do..." Said Dobby and Harry frowned.

"We _are_ friends Dobby. You saved my life. You're a great friend to me, one of the best. Please don't doubt that." This statement sent Dobby over the edge and he no longer tried to restrain his tears.

"C'mon Dobby, have a sandwich." Ginny offered and patted the blanket in front of them. Dobby sat and cried as he ate. It was endearing but saddening to watch at the same time and Harry doubted Dobby would ever accept kind words without becoming an emotional wreck. He looked towards the children and saw Albus standing holding Hailie's hand on the edge of the water whilst Fleur and Lily waded in up to their knees. Louis, Victorie and Dominique were swimming and racing each other.

"Ah, Harry Potter sir, Dobby understands now." Dobby said quietly. Harry looked down at the elf looking across the beach. "Dobby is not wanting Harry Potter to be bothering himself with such sombre thoughts, sir." Dobby said bravely as he looked at Harry and Harry could see the conflict in his enormous eyes; Talk sternly to him or let him wallow in the past.

"I know," he sighed. "I just remembered how... scary it was." Harry admitted. He felt Ginny's hold tighten reassuringly but she remained silent.

"It was a bad day." The elf agreed. "But Dobby is just Dobby and Harry Potter mustn't be worrying over Dobby at all sir. There are far more important issues in the world to worry about sir."

Harry just stared for a long moment. It must've been harsh as Dobby recoiled slightly after Harry's gaze didn't drop.

"Don't Dobby. Do you know what it felt like?" Harry said through gritted teeth. He could feel Ginny's hand rubbing his arm in an attempt to soothe him but it only worked fractionally. "It was the same kind of hurt to when I lost Sirius, or when Fred died, or Remus and Tonks... even Hedwig! A friend is a friend Dobby, no matter how little they believe it themselves. I thought... I thought you'd die." He said quietly.

The three of them sat in silence. Dobby knew it was pointless to argue with Harry as Harry sounded sincere. It took all of the little elf's control to not bawl his eyes out even more than he had already and climb into Harry's lap, relishing the love and trust Harry gave. Ginny remained quiet and rested her head on his shoulder again and relaxed when he leant his head on hers. The silence was broken by Albus as he called for Harry to take Hailie in the water. Ginny was about to protest but Harry cut her off.

"It's fine. She wants to go in, just wanted me to take her that's all. She told me earlier." So that's what they were talking about, Ginny thought. She moved to let him up and Albus plonked himself in his father's place.

"Hey Dobby, long time no see." Albus said as he grabbed a sandwich. They chatted happily together and Ginny found herself watching Harry coax Hailie into the water. Lily was already in there and was calling to Hailie to join her. Finally, she smiled as Hailie allowed herself to be led into the water up to her knees and suspected her grip on Harry's hand was extremely tight.

...

The circular table held plates of all sorts as the families sat down and ate. They were crammed into the little dining room which had the familiar shell pattern that adorned every room in the cottage. Hailie had relaxed enough to speak a few words to Fleur but remained stoically silent when Bill asked a question. After many offers for him to join, Dobby had given in and was seated next to Ginny who sat on Harry's right. Hailie was next to him and then Lily, followed by Albus. Bill, Fleur and their children made up the rest of the circle.

"Right, we'd better get going." Harry announced after the clock upon the mantle chimed seven. "Thank you for today, the meal was lovely."

"Oh don't be silly, Harry." Fleur said, getting up and pulling him close for a hug.

"Yeah, drop by whenever. The kids have definitely enjoyed it." He chuckled as he gestured to the ceiling where loud thumps and laughter could be heard. Ginny called them down and after much moaning and gathering of things; they said another round of hugs and goodbyes and set off again towards the hotspot.

The car popped into existence about fifteen miles from the manor and Ginny was giving them instructions of 'straight to bed' when they got through the front door. Usually they'd have complained at being in bed at eight o'clock but they were all exhausted. Lily had fallen asleep on the journey and Harry was about to climb the stairs when he heard something.

"Tired." Hailie mumbled. Harry stooped down and opened his free arm which Hailie crawled into. He lifted them both up and carried them to their rooms. He settled Lily in first and by the time he'd reached Hailie's room, she was fast asleep. He tucked her in and left the door open slightly so the light could come in a little. He found it worked well in soothing her nightmares. He walked down the hallway and passed Albus in the bathroom. He said goodnight and ruffled his hair then went downstairs to the living room. He sat staring at the fire for a while before making up his mind.

"Dobby." He called softly as he didn't want to wake Ginny who was dozing on the sofa next to the wall.

Dobby materialised in front of him.

"What can Dobby do for Harry Potter sir?" Dobby asked, beaming.

"Well, I was wondering something... Would you like to... I mean if you don't then that's fine... it's totally up to you of course... it was just too long before... I don't want that to happen again..."

Dobby chuckled. "Harry Potter is rambling. Sir only does that when sirs nervous, Dobby's noticed."

"Uh right, yeah." Harry said sheepishly. "I wanted to know... whether you'd like to come and live with us. I mean, McGonagall wouldn't mind I'm sure..." Dobby didn't answer and he began to ramble again. "... Like I said, only if you want... don't want you to feel like you have to... it's alright if you don't..."

"Dobby would love to sir!" Dobby blurted, squealing loud enough that he might wake Ginny. "Oh how Dobby would love to. Dobby cannot think of a better place to work sir!" Tears were forming again and Harry spoke up.

"Not work Dobby, just live. As a friend. Like... housemates I guess." Harry laughed. "We have plenty of rooms and this place is too empty even when the kids are home from school."

"Not work?" Dobby said incredulously.

"Of course not, I want you here as a friend, not a servant." Harry said sternly. Under no circumstances would he let Dobby do any of his cleaning. There was a lot of incoherent sobbing and thanks and praise for the 'noble Harry Potter' before Harry managed to get Dobby to fetch his things. He really hoped McGonagall wouldn't mind...

Dobby settled himself into a small bedroom which was painted a pale green. He'd turned down the larger bedrooms as he felt they were too spacious for his liking. His bedroom had a single bed pushed up against the wall on the left and he had a large wardrobe which held his many knitted clothes and a chest of drawers contained an abundance of brightly coloured socks. Harry noticed with a heartfelt sigh that the only sock that wasn't brightly coloured was a black one that he'd freed him with in his second year. Harry tucked Dobby in as he did his children and bade him goodnight. Rousing Ginny had been difficult as she was in a deeper sleep than he'd thought. He explained about Dobby whilst she was half asleep as it seemed a lot easier than her reaction would be if she were wide awake. She just nodded and said 'that's nice' before climbing into bed and falling straight asleep.

.

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><p>I really liked writing this chapter. I managed to write it all in one go! It took a while, but yeah, I hope you liked it :) Longest chapter so far! An attempt to make up for the previous short ones.<p>

I simply couldn't kill Dobby... he's too... _Dobby._

_. Please Review :D Thankyou._


	9. Chapter 9  Butterflies and Bad Dreams

**.**

**Opening Old Wounds.**

_Dobby settled himself into a small bedroom which was painted a pale green. He'd turned down the larger bedrooms as he felt they were too spacious for his liking. His bedroom had a single bed pushed up against the wall on the left and he had a large wardrobe which held his many knitted clothes and a chest of drawers contained an abundance of brightly coloured socks. Harry noticed with a heartfelt sigh that the only sock that wasn't brightly coloured was a black one that he'd freed him with in his second year. Harry tucked Dobby in as he did his children and bade him goodnight. Rousing Ginny had been difficult as she was in a deeper sleep than he'd thought. He explained about Dobby whilst she was half asleep as it seemed a lot easier than her reaction would be if she were wide awake. She just nodded and said 'that's nice' before climbing into bed and falling straight asleep._

_._

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><p><span>.<span>

Chapter 9 – Butterflies and Bad Dreams.

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"Try this one Dobby," Albus offered. He held out a blue shirt that had a picture of a dragon on the front.

"Ooh Dobby likes this one very much sir." Dobby said happily as he stuffed his head through the hole and beamed down at the moving dragon.

"Albus Dobby, not sir." He laughed, looking through his wardrobe. "Dad said he'd buy you new stuff but I need to get rid of some of the clothes that don't fit me anymore anyway." They'd gathered up several of Albus' old shirts and jumpers to add to Dobby's collection. Albus gasped excitedly, "Oh my god! I have some small robes, you have muggle clothes but you don't have wizard ones!"

"But you see sir, Dobby is not a wizard; Dobby is an elf." Dobby explained.

"Well I say you should be able to wear whatever you like Dobby. No one has the right to tell you that you can't as you're free."

"Such a kind sir..." Dobby began tearing up, "...truly Harry Potter's son... Dobby would never have thought such kindness-"

"It's just some clothes." Albus muttered embarrassed. "And Albus, not sir."

Lily poked her head into Albus' room and said,

"Hello Dobby, you want some of my stuff?"

"Lil! He's not wearing _girl _clothes!" Albus said vehemently but Dobby seemed rather excited about the idea.

"Dobby likes pink very much miss." His ears flapped as he nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't think many of my clothes will fit you Dobby, but I've got some hats if you like?" She offered.

...

An hour later, Harry came across Dobby in the hallway wearing an old shirt of Albus' which had a dragon on the front, pyjama trousers decorated with what seemed to be tiny cauldrons and Harry was sure the pink bobble hat was one of Lily's. He also wore his typical odd socks, orange and black stripes for one and a Puddlemere United sock on the other foot. He was sat against the wall reading a book and got up when he heard Harry approaching.

"Dobby is so thankful for Harry Potter sir." He said, hugging him around the middle. "Dobby had brilliant clothes sir, and books! Dobby loves his room!"

"Dobby," Harry said, trying to extricate himself from the elf. "You've been thanking me for three days now. I get it, but really it's nothing." He stressed, with the hope that Dobby wouldn't get suddenly overwhelmed like he had the previous night around the dinner table. He'd burst into tears and latched onto Harry thanking him profusely for 'everything he'd done for Dobby'. Harry's face became redder and redder whilst Ginny snickered behind her hand.

"Why are you reading out here?" He asked as Dobby let go.

"Dobby wanted to see Harry Potter sir so Dobby was waiting until Harry Potter passed sir."

"I've been in the study, just come and talk to me if you want Dobby. No need to wait out here." Harry said, shaking his head.

"Oh no," Dobby shook his head forcefully and he ears flapped back and forth. "Dobby wouldn't want to interrupt sir."

He sighed. "You wouldn't be interrupting anything important. What was it you wanted?"

"Dobby would like to show Harry Potter something if sir is not busy?" He looked up hopefully and Harry followed him to his bedroom.

The room had been transformed. The walls were each a different colour; blue, green, yellow and purple. The bed covers were red and had crescent shaped moons and sparkling stars. The floor was wooden and in the centre there was a white circular rug with a red spiral from the outside to the centre. Harry was sure that if you could spin the rug, you would become hypnotised.

"Wow, it's colourful." Harry said, chuckling. Dobby's smile was huge at Harry's comment and he pulled Harry into the room, showing him his new clothes from the children and his proud assortment of pink things. Harry tried not to laugh at how ridiculous Dobby would look in Lily's hats that had butterflies, fairies and flowers on them and ended up smiling fondly at the little elf. "Well, I still have to take the kids to Diagon Alley for school stuff so we can pick up a few books and things there for you too."

"Dobby is happy with what he has sir. It is far more than Dobby has ever had and far more than Dobby needs already sir. Dobby enjoys his books he does, Harry Potter sir, very much, and Dobby wouldn't want sir to be spending more money on him, oh no."

"The books are old and they've got newer versions out now. Blimey, they must've been from when _I_ was in school..." He said as he scanned the bookshelf.

"Then Dobby will look after them with the utmost importance sir!" Harry just shook his head; there really was no hope with Dobby.

"We're going okay?" He said and turned to face him. "We hardly go there anyway and because we barely visit it's a treat for the kids. No, don't even say it Dobby! You're coming too, you're a part of this family now whether you like it or not." He said, leaving no room for argument. It was almost a tradition that when they visited Diagon Alley, the children each had a treat. They weren't spoilt children, Harry and Ginny had always ensured that they appreciated what they had and never took things for granted, so the Diagon Alley trip was highly anticipated in the Potter household.

Harry waited outside the bathroom for Ginny to come out. They needed to arrange a date for Diagon Alley so they could let the rest of the Weasley clan know. With more and more Weasley children being born, they took over Diagon Alley when they arrived and as a result, they had to inform George so that he could pass it onto the other shopkeepers. The shopkeepers then warned their usual customers so they could stay out of the way for the day and many people were grateful for the warning so they wouldn't be swamped with red-headed children.

The door was suddenly flung open and out ran a very naked Lily.

"Hahahaha!" She shrieked and bolted for the stairs but Harry had started after her and caught her around the waist.

"Oh no you don't!" He said as he tickled her.

"No! Not fair! Ahh – Stop!" He held her as Ginny's head appeared in the doorway.

"Lily Luna Potter! You are having a bath!" She took Lily from Harry and closed the door promptly behind her and muffled protests could be heard from inside.

"Harry?" He turned and saw Hailie watching him from further down the hall.

"Yeah?" She walked towards him and sat down leaning on the wall where he followed suit.

"Why won't you bath us?" She asked and looked up at him.

"Uh." He hesitated as his stomach did a horrible flip-flop and stared straight ahead. "I just don't like baths."

"Why?"

How was he supposed to get out of this one? He deliberated for a moment and decided on a half-truth.

"I, uh, when I was little, I had an... incident... in the bath and I was quite scared. I don't like them anymore." He tried to focus on the muffled sound of Lily's laughter rather than the irrationally frantic beating of his own heart.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Not now, Hailie. I'll tell you when... when I'm ready." He said, closing his eyes.

"Okay." She said quietly and he felt her hug him before she got up and went back into her bedroom. He heard the door opening after a little while and he opened his eyes to see Lily with a towel wrapped around her.

"Hailie!" Ginny called. Hailie emerged from her room and gave Harry and Lily a smile before disappearing into the bathroom. Lily climbed into Harry's lap and he could feel the wetness of her hair soaking through his shirt.

"Eurgh, Lils. You're soaking." He complained.

"What's wrong Daddy?" She asked as she looked up at him with a little frown and he knew she wasn't talking about her hair; she was far too observant for a seven year old.

"I'm okay Lily, thanks." He smiled and kissed her head. "C'mon let's get you ready for bed."

Once Lily was in her pyjamas and settled into bed, Harry went downstairs to sit in the living room. Dobby was already sat there reading an old Defence text in front of the fire and Harry joined him.

"Learnt much?" He asked, yawning.

"Oh yes! Dobby has learnt lots of different spells from these books. It's different with house elves than with wizards Harry Potter sir, but Dobby is learning how to change things a bit to get them to work." He smiled and Harry smiled too.

"I'm glad." He looked around as I came into the room and followed her into the kitchen.

"Hey Gin. Diagon Alley, got a date?" He asked. I turned around from making a cup of tea.

"Are you asking me on a date Mr P?" She said and raised an eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Snape.

"What?" Harry said bewildered. Then it clicked, "Oh no, no. I meant a date as in a number... hang on, did you just call me _'Mister P'_?" I laughed and carried on making tea.

"Uh I guess Saturday would be good. I'll floo Hermione, Fleur and Angelina and find out. They can pass the message on from there."

"Dobby's coming." He said.

"Of course. I'm just glad Hermione's made such good progress on the house elves' rights and stuff. Can you imagine the reaction if this had been twenty-odd years ago?"

"I know." He said frowning. "Dobby would've been victimised. Not that he isn't going to be now though." Harry said bitterly.

"Huh?"

"Harry Potter and all that shit." He said waving his hand pointedly. "If they see a house elf with anyone else then it's not a big deal, but with me? Ha." He scoffed.

"But you're all interesting." She said teasingly.

"Oh, nice to know you married me 'cause of my fame." He said sarcastically.

"Harry, it was for your money, get it right." She said, swatting at his bum playfully as she carried her tea back into the living room. He laughed and then joined her on the sofa. He noticed something lumpy and pulled out a rubber chicken.

"Wha-?"

"James." They said simultaneously and then burst out laughing. The chicken promptly began to squawk, then wriggle and finally become rather lifelike. He let it go and they watched it dart out of the room to another part of the house, making them laugh even harder.

...

"I don't want to." Hailie gritted her teeth and Harry sighed.

"There wasn't a problem before, I don't see why there is now. You're being silly." He tried to reason with her but she refused to back down. Harry and Ginny were stood in the hallway outside the bathroom door where they'd been trying to get Hailie to take a bath for almost twenty minutes.

"Don't want Ginny, I want Harry to." She complained.

Ginny spoke up, "He can't and that's final. If you don't want to take a bath then that's fine Hailie, but you'll lose privileges."

"Ughhh!" Hailie groaned loudly and stomped into the bathroom. Ginny went to Harry and hugged him tightly.

"S'alright, she'll get used to it soon." She said gently as she kissed him on the cheek and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Mhm." He watched the door close behind Ginny and sighed, deciding to make a start on looking through the case notes which arrived that morning. _That'll take my mind off things_, he thought.

Flicking through the notes he summarized them onto a separate piece of parchment.

**Case 23:**

**Group of males aged between twenty and forty years old. (Approx)**

**At least eleven individuals involved. **

**Possibly a mixture of wizard and muggle men due to supposed meeting locations in both wizard and muggle areas.**

**Three children witnessed arriving at locations. Unknown exit. (Possible apparition or when there are no witnesses.) – Will need to set up lookouts.**

**Tabs currently on two men.**

**Suspect1 – holds previous convictions of assault, arson and assault of a minor. Neighbour noticed strange behaviour where the suspect leaves his residence at odd hours during the night to meet with others for unknown reasons. **

**Suspect2 – Odd behaviour noted at strange hours. Unlike Suspect1, Suspect2 takes his ten year old son on these trips. **

He ran a hand through his hair and leant back in the chair. Luckily, the hard work had been done. The Auror team had tracked down the 'hideouts' where the men would meet along with other men but so far, were unsure of how to proceed. He knew what the department wanted though. They wanted him to give the 'go ahead' for a raid at the next meeting but he wasn't so sure. They could be doing anything in there and the involvement of children made him all the more wary but at the same time he felt the increasing need to stop whatever was going on.

Originally, the case hadn't been the Auror Department's but the Magical Law Enforcement's. However, until they were certain that whatever was going on wasn't dark magic it was passed on to the Aurors so that the other department wasn't going to be out of their depth. _All the more reason for them to learn about the dark arts and how to properly defend themselves_, he thought bitterly. He didn't see the reason why the MLE weren't trained to deal with things if they did get out of hand.

He sat there until the fire in the study was reduced to glowing embers and when he reached for a quill he felt his back twinge from not moving. He agreed to go ahead with the raid and to find out what was going on at the meetings. He had also requested he join them. It was just the one case and he'd been on countless raids before. He called over Jasper who'd been dozing on a perch in the corner and he tied the letter to his outstretched leg.

"Alright, can you take this to Robards, Head of Auror Department?" Jasper nibbled his finger affectionately before taking off out the window. Harry shut it and got ready for bed. When he lifted the blanket to climb in he noticed a mess of dark hair. He looked closer and saw that it was Albus, curled up fast asleep.

"Oi" he poked him and Albus squirmed.

"Wassamatter?" Albus mumbled sleepily.

"You're in my bed." Harry stated.

"Bad dream... please? Didn't wanna wake mum, she'll only complain." Harry sighed and climbed into bed. He rolled onto his side and watched Albus as he was falling back asleep.

"Don't you think you're a bit old for coming into our bed?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake Ginny who slept on Albus' other side.

"No." Albus answered petulantly. There was a long silence before he whispered, "Don't tell James though." Harry chuckled softly and stroked Albus' hair away from his forehead.

"Alright, if you say so."

Harry was just drifting off to sleep when he felt something pull at his sleeve of the arm he had draped off the side of the bed. He jumped up so quickly he had barely registered grabbing his wand from the bedside table. He found himself aiming at a very wide-eyed Hailie.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, quickly putting down his wand. "You made me jump."

Hailie sniffed and said, "Horrible dream. Don't wan' to sleep." She rubbed her eyes with her fist and he sighed.

"C'mon, in here." He leant forwards and picked her up, putting her in between him and Albus. He lay back down and she snuggled right up to him and mumbled something unintelligible.

"What d'you say Hails?" He said softly.

"Thankyou Daddy." And she burrowed deeper under the blanket whilst he lay there, frozen. _Daddy?_ Was that bad or good? Did she know what she'd said or could it have been a mistake in her sleepy state? She hadn't been there for long and what if she wasn't going to stay? It wasn't as though it was a permanent thing, they were just seeing how things would go... but he hadn't actually thought about her _leaving._ Better still, should he correct her? He couldn't however as quiet, even breathing told him she was fast asleep already.

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><p>.<p>

Ok, I'm so sorry about the wait. I've been really busy lately and haven't had the time to sit down and write. Also very sorry about the length... and the overall shitness of the chapter. I will try and do a better job on the next, I promise. But for now, thanks for reading. :D

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	10. Chapter 10  Missing

**Opening Old Wounds.**

**.**

_"What d'you say Hails?" He said softly._

_"Thank you Daddy." And she burrowed deeper under the blanket whilst he lay there, frozen. Daddy? Was that bad or good? Did she know what she'd said or could it have been a mistake in her sleepy state? She hadn't been there for long and what if she wasn't going to stay? It wasn't as though it was a permanent thing, they were just seeing how things would go... but he hadn't actually thought about her leaving. Better still, should he correct her? He couldn't however as quiet, even breathing told him she was fast asleep already._

_._

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><p><span>Chapter Ten – Missing.<span>

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"Good luck today. I wish we could come..." Harry said as he kissed Ginny on the cheek.

"I know Harry, don't worry about it okay?" She hugged him tightly before picking up her kit and leaving for the Quidditch match. The Flying Foxes were playing against the Nottingham Nundu's and it was an important game for both teams; the winner moving up quite a few places in the league. Harry watched her walk to the grate wishing he could be there to support his wife in such an important game but he knew he couldn't leave the children home alone and the quidditch atmosphere was no place for a skittish child like Hailie.

Half an hour later found a bored Harry Potter lounging in the chair behind his desk in the study. He'd flicked through the case notes again, reminding himself of the team of Aurors assigned to it. Ron, Dennis Creevey and Padma Patil were going to be working alongside Harry with the investigation and he was pleased to have such a great team. Ron and Harry had always worked brilliantly together of course and Ron would compare their little missions to those dangerous adventures they embarked upon at Hogwarts. 'This one has to be worse than the Horntail... but not as bad as the Acromantula', he'd say. To which Harry would reply 'Well seeing as _you _weren't chased by said Hungarian Horntail _deadliest of the lot, _might I add, you can't possibly compare...' 'Well..?' '...They were both a right pain in the arse.'

He hadn't worked with Padma for a long time but when he had he found her a great asset to the team. She was smart and resourceful, making her brilliant with interrogations. Dennis was quiet but dedicated. He often worked long hours to finish off a case or to look through some notes again and after the war, Harry was glad he'd helped Dennis get onto the program. His Potions marks weren't the best and Harry pulled a few strings to get Dennis the chance to prove himself.

He stretched his legs when he got up and then left the study to wander the house. He opened one of the closed doors to an unfurnished room. The four walls were white and there wasn't a single item of furniture inside. The floor was also bare with light wooden floorboards. He'd never gotten round to decorating as there was no use for the room as of yet and suddenly he was struck with an idea. Grinning, he called Dobby and then called all of the children to the room.

Albus and James entered the room curiously and spotted tins of paint in the middle of the room. Lily and Hailie came in just after and Lily became excited very quickly.

"Daddy! Are we painting?" She squealed. Harry grinned and opened the tins with a wave of his hand.

"Whoa, look at all the colours!" Albus said in awe. James looked at Harry sceptically.

"Are you honestly going to paint the room in all of those colours? It'll look like Dobby's room..." He asked smirking.

"Well not paint as in 'one paint for one wall'. We're all going to paint something, whatever we want. Then after it's finished it'll be like a mural or something with all of our pictures."

"Whatever we want?" Hailie asked and Harry nodded,

"Whatever you like."

The room was soon filled with the sounds of laughter as they had covered themselves with almost more paint than what were on the walls. James had painted over the floorboards with a blue that ran from the doorway in the corner, over to the opposite end of the room. The river he'd painted was full of Lily and Hailie's multicoloured fish and a few frogs. Albus was painting long green grass that reached waist-height on all four walls and it was teeming with some more of Lily and Hailie's animal creations. Ladybirds, woodlice and even a niffler could be found in Albus' grass. Harry was painting the ceiling whilst balancing precariously on a step ladder. It was a light blue and had the occasional cloud and James had moved onto an enormous hippogriff that stood beside Harry's tree. A tree that looked remarkably similar to the Whomping Willow.

...

Albus stood back and admired his family's creation. It was beautiful. Hills rolled across the walls and there was so much detail in each and every piece. He was amazed at Lily and Hailie's painting because even though they were only young, they'd done a brilliant job and put so much effort into it. James was beaming at his river and green 'grass' they were currently standing on. He'd also gone a bit crazy with the amount of bugs living in the grass resulting in a lot of funny coloured splodges around their feet. His dad's bright sky seemed to light up the room and Albus thought the sun he'd painted gave off its own glow. Hailie's flowers also adorned the walls as they peeked from inside the grass.

Harry studied the painting for a moment before pressing his hand to his Whomping Willow. The painting's branches quivered slightly and then started to sway in a non-existent wind. The children cheered and so Harry crouched down and touched James' river. At once it began to ripple and the fish started to swim.

CROAK.

"The frogs, the frogs!" Lily giggled. Sure enough, a frog made an appearance at the side of the river.

"Ha-ha, wait till mum sees this!" James said as he grinned. Harry then made his way around the room making sure to animate everything, from the blades of grass to the clouds above their heads.

"Alright then, who wants some lunch? I'm starving!" Harry asked and everyone cheered for food. Chuckling, he led the way to the kitchen and was soon cooking for what seemed to be a small army.

...

Saturday soon arrived and the Potter household were gearing up for a very exciting day. Meanwhile, Bill, Fleur and their children were also getting ready. As were Ron, Hermione and their two children and also Georges family, Percy's family and the Lupin's. There would be a total of twenty five in Diagon Alley today and with it being almost two weeks until Hogwarts starts, the shops were going to be packed. Ginny gathered the list of school supplies and wrestled the younger children into an orderly line in front of the grate. Ginny would be taking Lily through and Harry was going to take Hailie. Both James and Albus were used to flooing so they'd be travelling separately.

James stepped over the grate and threw a handful of floo powder onto the floor. Vivid green flames erupted and James called out 'The Leaky Cauldron' before whirling out of sight. Albus went next, followed by Ginny and Lily. Finally it was Harry and Hailie's turn and as he stepped forwards he felt her small hand clutch his tightly.

"It's alright Hails, you've seen this done before it won't hurt I promise." He squeezed her hand and led her into the fireplace. She looked terrified so he bent down and picked her up holding her close.

"Shut your eyes, it'll be easier." He said gently and in a moments time they were shooting through the floo network.

He climbed out of the fireplace and looked around to see the back room of the Leaky Cauldron. It was stuffy and had the damp mildew smell; Tom wasn't exactly known for his cleanliness. The six of them made their way through the crowded bar, Harry giving a quick nod to Tom in order to stop any announcement that he was there. Tom grunted in reply and went back to talking to a witch wearing a vivid lime green cloak.

"Right then," Ginny gathered the children into a group outside the pub, "No wandering on your own." She said looking pointedly at James.

"I'll be taking Hailie and Lily and your mother will be with James and Albus. She knows the supply list by heart now." Lily stepped towards Harry and held his free hand as the other was occupied by Hailie. The street was exactly the same as ever which warmed Harry's heart. The same signs hung above doors and there was a magical atmosphere which you could feel buzzing around. Luckily, it wasn't so busy; obviously George had let everyone know they'd be arriving.

The two groups separated, Ginny and the boys wandered off towards Flourish and Blotts and Harry took the girls into Madame Malkins, though not before he had to drag Lily and Hailie past several brightly coloured shops.

"I thought Dobby was coming." Lily said as Harry was perusing the clothes rails.

"He is he'll be here soon." He replied. "Ah, Hailie, come and try this one." He held out a midnight blue robe and Hailie put it on. It fitted perfectly and looked lovely against her light blonde hair.

They picked out a few more for each of them and left the shop. Outside, Harry scanned the street looking for any sign of the rest of the Weasley bunch. Sure enough, he spotted Bill and Fleur with their three children talking to Ginny near Gringotts so he made his way over and said hello. They were soon joined by Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo. Hugo carried a large cage with a tawny owl and set it upon Hermione's cart of purchases.

"Ah, so this is Hailie." Ron said, smiling down at Hailie who clutched Harry's cloak pocket. "Nice to meet you Hailie." He offered a hand and she looked at it cautiously until Harry gave an encouraging nod. She shook his hand quickly and went back to clinging onto Harry's cloak. Hermione gave her a warm smile and Harry was pleased to see that she returned it.

"Hiya, I'm Rose and this is Hugo." Hailie gave them a small smile and a quiet 'hi' and the children began talking about the quidditch leagues.

"Gin, how'd the game go?" Ron asked. Ginny beamed and announced the three hundred and ten defeat of the Nottingham Nundu's to which many congratulations were received. Percy and his wife joined them with a sulking Molly behind who seemed to be complaining about a book she'd not bought. Introductions were made again and Hailie didn't seem too taken with Percy and his family. Ah well, Harry thought, you can't win them all. He was hoping however, that she would like Remus, Tonks and Teddy. They were due to arrive any moment and he picked Hailie up so that she wouldn't keep practically hanging off of his pockets. She buried her head in his shoulder whilst he talked with Bill and Ron and he didn't notice when Remus appeared next to him.

"Hi Harry." He smiled. He looked the same as ever but hair had more grey through with only a hint of its previous colour brown. His robes were in a much better condition now that the Anti-Werewolf laws had been abolished (thanks to Hermione).

"Remus," Harry hugged the man with his free arm and introduced Hailie.

"Well it's lovely to meet you at last Hailie." He said smiling gently. Hailie returned the smile which Harry was relieved to see. Tonks and Teddy were introduced and the clan moved slowly down the street. As they passed Quality Quidditch Supplies, many parents were dragged inside leaving Harry with a few of the younger children, Percy and Fleur. They chatted whilst they waited and soon enough, James emerged clutching the new Firebolt model.

"Well that's James' present sorted." Ginny told Harry as she joined him outside the shop front.

"A broom?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought that seeing as his old one is quite an old model, he ought to have a newer one." Harry laughed,

"More like you want him to be able to keep up with your broom when you practice." He teased and Ginny huffed. _Old broom my arse_, Harry thought.

"Right then, we have the books, cauldrons and supplies from the apothecary. They already have their animals." She scanned a list, "So that leaves Hugo, Albus and Dominique for wands... oh, and Molly too." Ginny said looking round.

"Alright then, gather them up and off we go!" Fleur chimed. The two women were shortly joined by Hermione and Percy's wife who was Molly's mother and they took the four children into Ollivander's for their wands.

Remus exited the shop then, talking amicably with Bill. They stood and talked with Harry while they waited for everyone else to exit the shop. Finally, with everyone having bought what they wanted, the group set off towards Weasley Wizarding Wheezes or Wheezes as it was more commonly known. They clambered into the brightly coloured shop and Harry had to blink several times for his eyes to adjust. The shop held too many objects for what the shelves could hold it seemed. He spotted Dobby amidst the children and smiled as the elf explored the merchandise with wide eyes. Sounds and explosions rang through the shop as the children picked up things intent on finding out what they did. Hailie held closer to Harry, clutching around his neck and he put a hand on her back to soothe her. The group had returned from Ollivander's and the children rushed through the door to join the chaos inside the small shop.

"I'm just going to step outside for a bit." He said quietly to Ginny, indicating Hailie who had buried her face in his shoulder. She nodded understandingly and he slipped out of the doors to the quiet outside. He set her down and held her hand as they watched a few shoppers hurry past laden with bags and an animal or two. He was watching a bunch of people pass when he spotted Draco Malfoy with his wife Astoria putting up flyers on a few lampposts. As they neared where Harry and Hailie stood, he peered at them curiously, trying to make out what was on the flyer. Draco turned around from speaking to his wife and did a double take when he saw Harry. His platinum blonde hair was dishevelled and they both looked like they hadn't slept properly in weeks. Harry nodded curtly and Draco approached, surprising Harry. Usually, they never spoke unless necessary and both had reached a mutual acceptance of one another. They were no longer hostile but they weren't best of friends either.

"Harry." Draco greeted him with a sharp nod and Harry blinked stupidly for a moment before greeting Astoria.

"You busy?" He said, indicating the flyers in Astoria's hand. Astoria's eyes filled up and Harry felt his stomach drop, _what had he done now?_

"Of course," Draco said, slipping his arm around her shoulders, "we're not giving up, I don't give a toss what the ministry say."

Harry was bewildered; he was obviously missing something here. "Give up what?"

Draco stared at him for a moment then said slowly, "You don't know?" He shook his head and a long silence followed in which Draco seemed to be gathering the nerve to say something.

"Scorpius. He's been missing for a month now."

Harry looked between the two of them waiting for the contradiction but none came and a chill crept up his spine.

"H-how?" He asked worriedly. He'd never met the child but the thought of losing one of his own children scared him senseless making his heart ache for the couple stood before him.

"It was just the two of us," Draco began explaining and the hurt in his eyes spoke volumes to Harry. Draco was definitely no longer the arrogant schoolboy he'd always known him as. No, he was terrified for his son and Harry felt immense pity for the man. "We were in the apothecary and this guy came up to me asking for help with his ill grandmother, said she'd fallen asleep and he couldn't wake her. I had no idea it was a distraction... by the time he led me out the door he'd apparated away and Scorpius had disappeared too." Astoria began sobbing and he turned from Harry to hold her tightly to him as he murmured comforting words in her ear.

"I'm so sorry." Harry said sincerely. "But shouldn't there be an investigation? What happened?" He knew the ministry followed a missing child case for about a month, after that the trail usually ran cold.

"Let's just say the ministry hold grudges." His voice filled with contempt as he turned to face Harry again. "They did their mandatory investigation for two weeks. _Two weeks! _That's what being a Malfoy does to you now."

Harry was horrified, "They can't just give up..."

"They have." He said simply and they soon left to put up more flyers. Harry walked towards one once they'd apparated away and saw a smiling face of a boy who looked the spitting image of Draco, the emblazoned MISSING at the top of the poster made him worry for the child who was hopefully not dead already, a month seemed like a very long time to Harry. The street was now deserted apart from Hailie who stood at the window to the Wheezes and Harry who was further down to look at the flyers.

"Please help me." Harry turned round to see a middle-aged man of around forty hurry towards him. His greying hair was shoulder length and his face looked rough and unshaven as though he'd been living homeless for quite some time. His tatty robes hung loose on his small frame and when he came close to Harry he started speaking frantically.

"Please, you've got to help me. My boy, my poor boy!" He began tugging on Harry's cloak and gesturing behind him to a side street where rows of houses stood.

"What's happened?" He asked anxiously.

"Potions! He's covered; I can't stop the bleeding, please! You've got to help me!" The man was practically dragging Harry now and he had to use all of his strength to stay put.

"Okay, just wait there a sec; I've got to sort Hailie out." He looked back to the shop front but there was no Hailie. He glanced up and down the street but there was no sign of her. He'd hadn't notice the man let go and turned around to question him when he realised he'd disappeared. Harry stood alone in the street for a few moments before he began sprinting to the door of the Wheezes.

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><p>.<p>

Thank you so very, very much for all of your reviews. They're such great motivation to keep going with this. I do try and update frequently but it gets difficult as I'm busy a lot and I can't write if I'm not in the mood to write... if you get me.

So yes, thank you my wonderful readers, those who have reviewed and those who haven't but are sticking with the story.


	11. Chapter 11 The Malfoys?

**Opening Old Wounds.**

_._

_"What's happened?" He asked anxiously._

_"Potions! He's covered; I can't stop the bleeding, please! You've got to help me!" The man was practically dragging Harry now and he had to use all of his strength to stay put._

_"Okay, just wait there a sec; I've got to sort Hailie out." He looked back to the shop front but there was no Hailie. He glanced up and down the street but there was no sign of her. He'd hadn't notice the man let go and turned around to question him when he realised he'd disappeared. Harry stood alone in the street for a few moments before he began sprinting to the door of the Wheezes._

_._

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><p><span>Chapter 11 – The Malfoy's?<span>

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_Stupid, stupid, stupid._ He hit his head on the desk repeatedly in frustration. How could he have fallen for that? Right after he'd heard Malfoy's incident. _Stupid idiot. _

"Shh." A hand came to rest on his forehead from behind which prevented him hitting his head again. "We'll find her Harry, I promise." Ginny said soothingly as she came to sit on his lap. The morning sun filtered through a gap in the curtains bathing the room in a light glow.

"Scorpius has been missing a month now. It's the same people, I know it." He ground out through clenched teeth and Ginny ran her fingers through his hair. The effect was instantaneous; he leant forwards and rested his head on her shoulder exhaling as he relaxed stiff muscles.

"We will." She murmured as she ran her fingers through his hair and lightly across the nape of his neck.

There was a soft knock on the door after a few moments, startling them out of their thoughts.

"Come in." Ginny called out and James entered biting his lower lip.

"Uh... the Malfoy's are in the floo. What shall I do?" Harry looked at Ginny bewildered. They'd never had the Malfoy's over before.

"Erm, let them through, we'll be down in a sec." Ginny replied. They got up and went down to the living room where the two Malfoy's stood quite awkwardly with James. James looked relieved when he saw Harry and Ginny and quickly left the room.

"Malfoy." Harry said in greeting.

"Draco, please. We're not in school anymore." _Draco _shot Harry a small smile, to which Harry choked out,

"Uh... yeah... Harry, me." He blushed furiously. "I mean, call me Harry."

"Harry." He nodded politely and smirked. Oh yes, that side of Malfoy was still there, Harry thought. At least the world hadn't totally shifted its axis.

"We heard about Hailie. I'm so sorry, we came as soon as we could." Astoria said, coming forwards and hugging both Ginny and Harry.

"We think it's the same people who took Scorpius." Harry said abruptly. Draco looked at him seriously,

"Are you sure?"

"Same technique. And no I'm not sure, I said I _think_." Harry replied but there was no scorn in his tone.

They sat down and ran through the events, coming to the conclusion that the same guy who had distracted Harry, had distracted Draco as well. He told Draco about the previous night where he'd stormed into the ministry demanding they reopen Scorpius' case.

_He strode down the corridor, his robes billowing behind him in a Snape-like fashion. He opened the door to Robards' Office and marched up to his desk, making the man lean back in his seat with apprehension. _

"_Mr. Potter... what can I do for you?" He asked tentatively. _

"_Open Scorpius Malfoy's case, I think it's linked to Hailie's." Robards blinked up at him in astonishment. _

"_I can't just open up the case." He said, regaining some of his usual defiant air. "Especially not when it concerns an ex-death eater."_

"_He was cleared! He was given a trial and he was cleared!" Harry nearly shouted._

"_Only because YOU defended him!" He snapped back. "Anyone else wouldn't have swayed the jury like that and you know it."_

"_It worked because it was the right thing to do. He was forced to do things during the war and that's beside the point." He said shaking his head. "This is a child we're talking about." _

"_I will not have the department's resources limited by opening a simple missing person's case."_

"_Then you can forget me working here. Forget the return in a couple years time cause I'm not coming back." He said it calmly but inside he was furious. He turned around and made to leave when the other man called him back, stopping him where he stood._

"_Alright. I'll reopen the case." He said resignedly. "This had better be worthwhile." He warned. Harry turned his head slightly to the side and nodded curtly before leaving the office. _

_Being Harry Potter had its perks. _

...

The men had retreated to the study with the case files whilst the two women sat next to each other in the living room and were nursing large mugs of tea.

"I'm worried for him." Ginny admitted after a long moment's silence. "What if we can't find her? It'll destroy him." Astoria reached forwards and covered Ginny's hand with her own.

"It's been barely twenty four hours-"

"If it's the same people who took Scorpius then I don't see how we're going to find her," She cut in. The pair sat in silence for another long time before Astoria asked,

"We're the children?"

"Oh, they're with my parents. I'd prefer them here to be honest with you, at least I'd have something to do rather than just sit here worrying all day." She took a sip of tea and tried to stop her mind wandering to what they might be doing to Hailie. She just prayed they hadn't hurt her.

Meanwhile, Harry and Draco were also sitting in relative silence. The owl, Jasper, sat in the corner and hooted occasionally as though trying to fill the depressing silence that reigned.

After Draco and Astoria had left, Harry was loathe to admit that their presence had been a quiet comfort. Though each had said very little, the knowledge that the two knew what Harry and Ginny were feeling left no need for empty words of sympathy or comfort.

Two days later, they were no nearer to finding Hailie than when they'd started. It was around seven o'clock and Harry was brooding in the living room and staring into the fire, holding a large glass of firewhiskey and feeling utterly useless as each lead turned up false. Ginny was with Minerva, sat around the kitchen table discussing the new Hogwarts staff who'd be starting in two weeks.

"That leaves us Neville Longbottom teaching Herbology again, Vitrum is in the Divination post," McGonagall listed and rolled her eyes at the last name, "why we continue to _teach_ the subject is beyond me. The board of governors' won't let me remove it from the curriculum." She frowned.

"Is Hagrid still teaching?" Ginny asked. She was glad the conversation had steered away from Hailie now and onto lighter topics.

"Oh yes. That man is adamant to keep teaching." Her mouth twitched into a fond smile. "But he won't surpass me!" She chuckled. "I plan on out-doing the old codger in the number of years I remain at Hogwarts. Dumbledore that is, not Hagrid."

Ginny smiled. "I'm sure you will Minerva."

Minerva smiled in reply but then suddenly looked distinctly uncomfortable. She rubbed her hand on the back of her neck while Ginny watched curiously. Finally, when the silence stretched on, Ginny spoke.

"What d'you want?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Minerva cleared her throat. "The thing is..." She paused for a moment as though thinking how best to word her request. Her lips pursed in thought before she began again.

"What I wanted to ask is something that I should have done before now, this is terrible timing." Minerva paused again and Ginny gestured for her to carry on. "I have no defence teacher this year." She rushed.

Ginny leaned back in her seat, thinking.

"Are you requesting that Harry teach?" Minerva nodded. Ginny mulled it over for a few minutes before answering.

"I'm worried. I don't think he'd be up for it if I'm honest." Ginny said slowly. "I have every faith that he _could_ do it, hell he taught us DA! That was getting NEWT students up to standards as a _fifth_ year, so there's no doubt about that. Not to mention he was training young apprentice aurors. No, it's just whether it would be good for him. He's stressed," She said simply. "I can't see him teaching students whilst there's a two children missing, and not damaging his health. You know he won't stop and he also won't admit when he needs help."

Minerva sighed wearily. "I know. I know exactly what he's like but I just had to ask. Perhaps it'd do him good to perhaps focus on something else?" She suggested lamely. Ginny just raised an eyebrow,

"This is Harry we're talking about; he won't give up on them."

"Alright, alright. I'll find someone else. Though I have no idea who's going to take up the post with two weeks' notice."

Dobby came into the kitchen and bowed to Minerva before only getting through half of his bow to Ginny before she stopped him.

"Dobby! No need for that here." She scolded lightly. The elf immediately apologised before hesitantly joining the table.

"It's good to see you again Dobby, I trust you're having a lovely time living here?" Minerva asked kindly.

"Oh yes," Dobby beamed, "Dobby is loving living with Harry Potter and his family miss. But Dobby couldn't help but overhear that Harry Potter might be leaving." He blushed at admitting his eavesdropping but Ginny was pleased to see he no longer tried to beat himself over the head for it.

"We really don't think so Dobby, I don't think he'll want to." Ginny said.

"But Dobby is worried miss." He admitted in a hushed voice.

"Worried about what?" She asked.

"Harry Potter is sad miss." Dobby shook his head sadly. "Dobby doesn't want Harry Potter to be sad miss. Harry Potter seems very troubled indeed. Can Dobby do anything?" The little elf asked hopefully.

Ginny gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry Dobby. He blames himself for Hailie's disappearance and until she's back there's nothing we can do."

Dobby sniffled a bit then left the room dragging his feet. She rested her head in her hands and sighed at the unfairness of it all. The little girl could be anywhere and the kidnappers could have done anything to her. Harry had been working flat out with the other aurors trying to track anyone linked to Hailie all to no avail and it was slowly draining him. The two of them were both sick with worry.

...

She didn't open her eyes, at least not yet anyway. She'd learnt that when they know you're awake, they leer in a horrible, sickening way and grab roughly, pulling you out of your safety. Hailie's safety was a small crate, one that she shared with another child like her. A stolen child. She knew as soon as the man grabbed her that it was too late. She'd tried to scream but nothing came out and before she could do anything in an attempt to fight back, the shop fronts had whirled away and had suddenly been replaced by a cold dark room.

She strained her ears listening for any sound and hearing nothing she cracked her eyes open to peek around the room.

Darkness was all she could see so that meant none of the adults were there. She sat up slowly though, just in case. Her friend stirred from beside her and she helped him to sit up in the tiny space.

"Scorpius, you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, 'm fine." He whispered back.

"What about the others?" Scorpius shrugged his shoulders and then realised she wouldn't be able to see him.

"I dunno. Hello?" He called out in the room and a few answers let them know everyone was alright. There were six children, Hailie had counted (including herself and Scorpius), in the basement of an old house where a group of men would come and go. All of the children dreaded when a crowd of footsteps could be heard from the hallway upstairs. The more people upstairs, the more children they wanted to join them with their games.

"Do you know what time it is?" She asked Scorpius. He sat hunched up next to her in the tiny crate.

"No, I haven't been out in a while." He answered. "Need the toilet though."

Footsteps sounded from behind a closed door and suddenly light streamed in, blinding them, as a man stood silhouetted at the top of a flight of stairs. Hailie and Scorpius both hurriedly lay down and feigned sleep as the man trudged down the steps and into the basement.

The children could hear his wheezy breathing as he wandered the room, pausing every now and then outside of each cage that lined the walls.

"You'll do." He growled. Hailie peeked through her eyelashes at the man who stood towering over the cage in the corner. He snatched at the lock and grabbed a fist of clothing before roughly pulling out a girl with dark hair. Ruby. Ruby was twelve years old and she was very nice to Hailie, talking to her gently when she cried during the nights. He had soon climbed the stairs and shut the door behind him. She was very brave, Hailie thought, she hadn't made a sound. Hailie curled up tighter to Scorpius and tried to get some sleep.

...

The floo flared to life and out stumbled a dishevelled Ron. Harry greeted him with a nod and waited for any news as he sat behind his desk.

"Right, do you want the good news or the bad?" Ron asked, pulling up a chair and sitting on the other side of the desk.

"Hmm, bad first."

"Oh," Ron looked thoughtful for a moment, "Actually you won't understand the bad if I don't tell you the good first." Harry rolled his eyes and simply waved his hand for Ron to continue.

"The good news is, we've caught the distraction guy and he's currently being interrogated by Patil."

Harry inhaled sharply. "You're kidding?" Ron shook his head solemnly which caused Harry to frown.

"The bad?" He asked cautiously.

"The guy is one of the suspects on the previous case. He's Suspect1."

Harry's stomach dropped. No. No, no, no. His brain was working faster than he'd have thought possible as he mentally flicked through the case file.

"Why didn't I know? I should've known it was him!" He said shaking his head.

"No Harry," Ron said looking apologetic, "It was our fault, you didn't have the pictures, you had no clue what he looked like. I should've sent them. I really didn't think it'd be important, I thought you'd just see them when you came in before the raid. I'm so, so sorry Harry..." By now, Harry had his head in his hands and was rubbing his eyes in frustration.

Taking a deep breath, he stopped Ron's continuous apologies. "Don't Ron. Just forget it... you never knew... there was no way you could've known to give me the photos." Ron quieted then but still looked remorseful. Harry opened his desk drawer and withdrew his case notes for a few days ago.

**Case 23:**

**Group of males aged between twenty and forty years old. (Approx)**

**At least eleven individuals involved. **

**Possibly a mixture of wizard and muggle men due to supposed meeting locations in both wizard and muggle areas.**

**Three children witnessed arriving at locations. Unknown exit. (Possible apparition or when there are no witnesses.) – Will need to set up lookouts.**

**Tabs currently on two men.**

**Suspect1 – holds previous convictions of assault, arson and assault of a minor. Neighbour noticed strange behaviour where the suspect leaves his residence at odd hours during the night to meet with others for unknown reasons. **

**Suspect2 – Odd behaviour noted at strange hours. Unlike Suspect1, Suspect2 takes his ten year old son on these trips. **

"So they're related." Ron stated. "This case and Hailie and Scorpius'."

"Seems so..." Harry said tonelessly. After a moment, Ron spoke.

"We're going to raid right?"

"Definitely." He replied.

The two of them flooed to the ministry and were walking briskly towards the Auror Department when Harry noticed Ron glancing towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"Ron?" Harry questioned, not slowing his stride. Ron looked sheepishly towards him.

"Nothing." Harry merely raised an eyebrow. "alright, alright... I just wondered when you last slept, that's all." Ron said, avoiding Harry's eyes. "You look like shit."

"Thanks." He said sarcastically. They entered Harry's old office, which now held the name Robards on the door, and took the two empty seats in front of the desk.

"Ah, it would seem Weasley has informed you then." Robards said, addressing them with a nod.

"Yeah, the case is the same." Harry said.

"About that..." Robards looked distinctly uncomfortable, "With the cases being the _same_ case, I simply cannot allow you to lead it Mr Potter." He said slowly watching Harry intently and with some trepidation.

"What d'you mean?" Said Harry indignantly. He leant forwards in his chair and Robards gave a small nervous shift in his seat. Harry only picked up on it from spending quite a lot of time working with the man, anyone else wouldn't have noticed.

"Well, you cannot be largely involved with a case that is personal-" He started but Harry cut him off.

"You had no problem with me opening up Scorpius' case. It was fine for me to be looking at Hailie's case!"

Robards pursed his lips, "That's the thing. It _wasn't _alright for you to be working on the case. I should never have let you open young Malfoy's knowing full well that it was in conjunction with Miss Scott's."

"But you did-"

"Did I have much of a choice?" He cut in. "I think we all know that you can be rather... _persuasive_ when you want to be, and frankly, I never thought you would actually be able to find Scorpius."

"But we haven't." Ron said plaintively.

"No, but you have a lead. That's more than the others got when they were investigating."

Harry snorted, "Investigating? I bet they didn't even bother."

"Now look here Mr Potter, I have to take you off the case, it's as simple as that-"

"No!" Ron said indignantly, "You take Harry off then we've just as failed already."

"Er, thanks Ron." Harry said, a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "I want to help okay, you can't just kick me completely off the case."

Robards sighed heavily and rubbed his face wearily. "Why do you insist on breaking every goddamn rule Harry?"

Ron laughed at that, "It's what he does. Ask his teachers."

Robards looked at them for a very long and silent moment before sighing again and leaning back in his chair.

"Alright, I won't take you off the case. But-" He added at the look on their faces, "You can't lead. Weasley, you lead."

They were both silent as they nodded in agreement. _I'm still on the case!_ Harry thought happily. At least he could _do _something and know what was going on.

.

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_Sorry this took a while, my internet modem keeps cutting out and is rather picky about when it wants to work for me. Hopefully will sort it out soon, but for now I guess I'm just not guaranteed to update as quickly as I'd like. _

_Another filler-type chapter for you, hopefully getting down to the better stuff in the next :) Thanks for the reviews! I was so happy when Opening Wounds was given a C2 :P Thank you all very, very much._

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